Fight On, Pokemon Battle! (で戦う ポケモンバトル Ue no Tatakai, Pokemon Batoru)
by FazzEagle
Summary: Pokemon Battling is now a popular competitive sport where Trainers pit their Pokemon against others' to see who is the 'best'. Kay Planer was always bullied in school, until a chance visit to a Pokemon Gym led to a discovery that her Pokemon possesses an explosive Fire Punch that can change their lives forever in the Battle Stadium! Character Submissions are OPEN! Please review!
1. To Be Strong

**Episode 01 – "To Be Strong"**

***Ding!***

"The bell has rung! It's time to officially start the match!"

The announcer's voice boomed all across the stadium, soon swallowed by the cheers of thousands in attendance. Spurred by the noise, the Pokemon Trainer threw his Pokeball into the large, battle ring, summoning out his smirking Ghost-Type Pokemon, Gengar! His rival threw his Pokeball out in unison, choosing his trusty Nidorino to start the fight!

Different sides of the stadium started chanting the trainers' names as the two Pokemon charged at each other.

Gengar swiped at the Nidorino with its claws.

"Gengar takes the initiative! But wait….!"

The Nidorino dashed aside, dodging the attack just barely over its head. As soon as it landed on its fours, however, its horn started emitting a bright glow!

"Could it be!? Yes! Nidorino is aiming to finish the Gengar off with a-"

* * *

"Whoa! That's so awesome!"

The battle in the stadium continued on behind the screen of a television, with some high school students stopping by to watch and cheer in front of the display glass. Of course, it wasn't long before the owner of the store came running out to chase them away as usual, only to ironically turn around to watch the TV as well.

One schoolgirl passed by the store, her eyes only momentarily catching the sight of the old man shouting at the boys. This was Kay, a slightly above average-looking girl. Kay was slightly shorter than most girls her age, and she didn't have looks that screamed 'cute' or 'gorgeous'. Her black hair was tied into a loose ponytail, and her fringe partially covered her face. She was one of those teenagers who – despite her age (fifteen) – didn't actively carry their Pokemon with them. She lacked popularity in school, which would explain why she normally walked home on her own.

But she was used to that.

Her ponytail bounced as she hurried into the public train, and sighed when the door closed behind her.

"That was close…" Kay muttered to herself as she took a seat, placing the grocery bags beside her. Only for a while though as she soon offered the seat next to her to an old woman who walked in at the next stop. "Please, go ahead."

Kay was a nice girl though so that was one of her good points.

But, a glance to the side surprised her. Not far from where she was sitting were three girls from her school, laughing and chatting away with each other. They wore ribbons and other fashionable accessories – in fact, their 'leader' obviously had her hair dyed blonde!

Kay knew them.

And that's why she had to instinctively hide her face behind her schoolbag.

* * *

Eventually she was able to get off the train, hurriedly even. Unfortunately, her escape attempt failed her.

"Oy, 'Plainer'!"

Kay froze on the spot. 'Plainer' – a play on her last name… Only certain girls called her by that name.

"Hey, don't tell me you were running away from us?" The one talking to her was none other than the girl who dyed her hair, and on each of her side were the other two girls that were always with her. "I'm feeling hurt, y'know?"

Kay slowly turned her head around, trying to put up a good smile. "H, Hi, Terry... And no, of course not; I… I just need to hurry back home is all."

Just then, the two other girls wrapped their arms around Kay's, giving the worried girl a mischievous grin.

"Oh come on," their 'leader' continued, walking ahead of them. "We just wanna talk to you, that's all. Come on; I know a good place nearby."

'Not again' were the words that were spoken in Kay's head as she was pulled from the train station.

'A good place' she said. Apparently to Terry and the other girls a 'good place' was right under a bridge that was overlooking a river. Kay even doubted the girls knew about this place to begin with and simply chose the spot because there was no one else around. That thought alone made her wonder what they were planning to do with her.

If anything, it was to bully her again – this wasn't the first time; they seemed to enjoy telling her to do errands for them or even criticizing the way she looked. Why, just last week they asked her to do their homework for them – all THREE of them.

But before Kay could say anything to either of the three…

"Oh, hey, look!" Vicky, one of the other girls – the one with the longer hair – said, looking directly at the grocery bags in Kay's hand. "She bought some things!"

"Did you buy anything for us?" the girl with the tan, Nicky, asked. "We're huuuungry."

"Yeah, Plainer," Terry said, flipping her blonde hair aside. "Come on, you gotta share something with us. Even if it IS something cheap."

Nicky giggled at that.

It was true though: Kay wasn't exactly someone who normally carried a lot of money. Not like these three girls – that was why they felt they could do anything they want. Nonetheless, Kay swallowed her pride and endured it, as usual.

"S, Sorry," said Kay, her head lowered. "But these are just raw vegetables and meat that my dad asked me to b-"

"Ah, whatever! If you don't have anything to eat…" Just like that, Terry held out her hand to Kay. "Just lend me some cash to buy something, won't you?"

"… eh…?

"You heard what I said. I just spent the last of my allowance on some music CDs so now I'm broke."

"But… But this money isn't mine. My dad lent it to me…"

"HA….?" Terry suddenly stepped forward. "Didn't you hear what I said? We're hungry here! Do you want us to starve or something?"

"Let me see it!" Suddenly, Vicky reached out and yanked the grocery bag from Kay's hand to rummage through it. "Aw, these are all cheap! I'm not going to get full eating just these!" And Vicky dropped the bag onto the ground just like that.

"H, Hey…!" Kay tried to pick up the bag, only to be stopped by an outstretched arm.

"You know what?" Terry asked, keeping Kay at bay. "I don't think my Pokemon has eaten yet either. Say, you wouldn't mind sharing these with it, would you?"

With her other hand, Terry reached out to her side, picking out a sole Pokeball that hung on her custom-made belt. The ball was the smaller kind – probably just around the size of a USB Drive – but as soon as she dropped it onto the ground, it snapped open with a 'pop' and out came Dandelion!

Terry's just-as-spoilt Furfrou.

Anyone who believes that Pokemon take after their owners would be right to use Dandelion as an example; it was just as mean and selfish as Terry herself. The blonde dye on its head fur made it recognizably hers too, and much like Terry herself Dandelion was wearing a lot of accessories – useful or otherwise.

Even when it was released from its Pokeball the Pokemon proudly had its chin up high.

"Dandelion, are you feeling hungry?" Terry asked. "Well, Kay here is being nice enough to give you whatever you want!" She gestured to the grocery bag. "Take your pick, okay?"

"T-Terry!" Kay cried out. "You can't! My dad really-"

Terry shot her down with a glare, and just as quickly she reached out to pull on Kay's ponytail! The other girls were just watching, with only Nicky pretending to care by playfully warning Terry not to accidentally pull Kay's hair off.

"You really make my blood boil, you know that?!" Terry stated with her grip still strong around Kay's hair despite her protests. "Where do you get off trying to talk to me like that? You're so weak!" And she pulled on Kay's hair a little more. "If you really want me to stop then fight back! What are you waiting for!"

"Terry, stop…!" Kay cried out, trying to push Terry's arm away. "That hurts…!"

"Shut UP!"

Terry's hand came swinging from the side, smacking Kay right in her cheek! The poor girl couldn't even keep her balance after that; she fell right to her knees. Unfortunately, this was not the first time she felt Terry's hand either.

"Are you going to cry this time, Plainer?" Terry mocked. "Stand back up." But when Kay couldn't muster the courage to do so… "I said STAND UP!"

Terry almost did something she never tried before at that time: she was just about ready to kick a defenseless Kay right at her side! Suddenly, however, something stopped her – something in the form of a paper ball…? But even that was enough to send Terry to take two steps away from Kay.

Terry's Furfrou was quick to bark at the thrower.

"Who threw that!?"

It was a man; he was probably around his twenties, but his tall, muscular frame made him look older. He had a menacing look on him: sharp eyes; spiky hair; also for some reason his teeth looked like fangs! His skin was tanned, suggesting he liked being under the sun a lot, and the girls could easily spot he owned a sturdy body to boot. Next to him was something much smaller: a Machop, the fighting-type Pokemon, clenching its fists as if ready for a fight.

"Whoa, girls sure are getting scarier these days," the man said with a menacing grin.

He stepped down from the steps he stood on, slowly approaching the girls below – all the while keeping the grin on himself.

"Ew, who's that!?" Vicky cried out. "A pervert!?"

Terry turned to her Furfrou. "D-Dandelion, do something!"

"Furf!" Dandelion barked.

But before the Furfrou could even attempt to do anything, the man's Machop quickly dashed forward. In a flash, the Fighting-type swooshed past Dandelion… and surprisingly had most of the Furfrou's accessories in its hands! Its hands moved so fast neither of the girls even saw when or HOW it pulled that off.

And the Furfrou simply froze on its spot, its eyes wide in disbelief.

"L, Let's get out of here!" Nicky cried out, quickly turning away.

"Pervert!" Vicky cried out as she followed after.

Soon the Furfrou would follow, with Terry close behind. "You're going to regret this…!"

Just like that the bullies ran off with their tails between their legs.

"Who the hell are they calling 'pervert'?" the man scoffed. "Man, girls these days sure are scary." That was when he finally turned his attention to Kay, who was still on her knees on the ground. "Oy, you okay? Huh, that girl really smacked you good."

At first Kay was worried if she was getting into the biggest trouble of her life, but here the man was sounding… genuinely concerned? She quickly raised her hand to her slapped cheek, but her eyes deterred from looking the man in the eye.

"It's okay…" she muttered. "This sort of thing happens all the time…"

As she said this, the Machop dropped all the accessories it nabbed onto the ground, again making Kay wonder just how it was able to get all that so fast. She quickly brushed off her curiosity however, and returned back to her feet to properly bow to her 'savior'.

"Thank you for helping me though!" Kay said. "I—"

"Ceh, save that for someone who cares." That comment took Kay by surprise, and Kay slowly looked up at the man, only to be met with a scowl. "Look, kid: I thought you needed help because you were outnumbered, but if there's one thing I hate in people…" He pointed down to her – literally; he was six foot tall while she was merely five feet! "… it's weaklings who don't do a damn thing to fight back."

Again that word – Terry said the same thing not too long ago. 'Weak'.

"… but what am I supposed to do…?" Kay asked, slowly looking downwards. "… I can't fight."

The man kept his scowl on her for a little longer, but then turned away while clicking his tongue. "Whatever," he said, moving back towards the stairs. "Just learn to watch out for yourself; I can't be bothered to play 'hero' all the time. Oy, 'Champ', let's go."

"Chop!" The Machop nodded before turning away as well.

"We'll be yelled at if we don't go back soon."

Without turning back even once the two left Kay alone at the scene, jogging back up the steps they came from and then finally disappearing somewhere above. Kay was saved, but the ending left a bitter taste in her mouth.

'Weak…?' Kay asked herself. 'Am I really that….?'

* * *

Later that afternoon, Kay finally returned home. Like usual she had to catch the bus heading out of the city and then walk quite a bit more distance from the stop. Her house was located far from the city, in a small village. Here, the people were more welcoming and familiar to her, but they were either children or adults. Nonetheless she greeted anyone she came across on her way home.

Her house, on the other hand, was somewhere near the outskirts. It was a one story house and much like most of the houses there it was made of wood and planks – no fancy paint jobs or whatsoever. A giant sign hung above her house, however, which read "Planer's Farm". Not far from the house was a field surrounded by a fence, where a few Miltank and Tauros could be seen grazing. As she made her way to her house, however, she was greeted by one of her only true best friends in the world.

"Tepig!" it cried out, before rushing towards its owner from the field.

It was a Tepig, a Fire-type Pokemon. It was apparently moving around in the field until it sensed Kay's arrival, indicated by the twitch of its ears. The little Pokemon continued its rush and soon jumped over the fence with ease. As soon as it landed on its feet, it made one more jump, this time towards the girl.

"Teppo!" Kay greeted. Seeing her Tepig after a long, lonely day always brought out her best smile. The Fire-type Pokemon jumped into her arms, almost knocking her over, and nuzzled itself on her with glee. "Sorry it took me a while to come back. Have you been working hard?" The Tepig nodded with a smile. "Let me just give the groceries to Dad and then I'll help out, okay?"

"Tep!"

"I'm home!" was the first thing Kay said once she entered the house, pushing her shoes off her feet gently at the entrance.

"Oh, Kay, welcome back." Her father soon stepped out of the room nearby, welcoming his daughter home with a smile. This was Thomas Planer, Kay's single father. Much like his daughter, he was average-looking, and shared the same hair color as her. However, where his eyes were brown, Kay's were shades of amber that shined orange under sunlight. He was also taller than his daughter by at least a few feet – slightly shorter than the man Kay came across to earlier. "Sorry that I had you to buy the groceries for me."

Kay shook her head. "No, it's alright; I don't mind it. I'm going to help out in the field."

Kay tried to hurry back into her room, but her father saw what she was trying to hide.

"Kay, your face…?" He noticed the red mark on her cheek, but Kay thought it would have been gone by now.

"Oh, uh…. I… tripped on my way here," Kay lied, lowering her gaze for a brief moment before putting up a smile once more. "That's why my uniform's a little dirty too. But don't worry; I can clean it up real easy!"

"….."

"Well… I'm heading to my room to change, Dad. Come on, Teppo!"

But before she could even take the fifth step away from her father, he called out to her again – Kay almost felt her heart skip a beat!

"Kay… I'm really sorry for asking you for help every day. Because of that, you don't even have a lot of time to spend with your friends."

Kay went quiet for a bit, but once again turned her head to smile to her father. "No, it's alright! I don't mind helping you out, Dad; besides, Teppo here is also helping out, remember?" She finally turned away again, continuing towards her room. "I'll see you in a bit, Dad!"

But of course, her father couldn't help but look on and worry, but he knew there wasn't much he could say to her at this point.

"Alright!" Finally after changing out of her uniform to something more casual, she finished it up with a pair of leather gloves and tying a small kerchief over her head and hair, leaving the latter's fringe and her ponytail free. Finally, she put on a look of determination – an expression not many outside the farm got to see. "Are you ready, Teppo?"

"Tepig!" the Tepig cried out, sharing its owner's enthusiasm.

Eventually, the two of them went out into the field to take care of the Miltank and Tauros. They had to make sure they stayed in their herd and not stray away; some Miltank tended to be too lazy to even move that either Kay or her Tepig had to literally push them to get them moving! Handling the Tauros proved to be harder as always as they were more stubborn than the females: one even tried to charge its way out of the fields! But as usual Teppo was there to catch up to it to tackle and intimidate the bigger Pokemon – either by continuing to knock it down or blowing fire from its nose before Kay could pull it away by the horns. Then the duo had to lead all of them back into their barn, where the Miltank and Tauros would feed on the hay that would eventually be brought in by Kay and Teppo. Needless to say, a long, lonely day quickly shifted into a long, hardworking day, and by the time they were done with all that, the two would of course be covered in dirt and grass!

Though neither of them seemed to mind that.

Later that night, Kay and Teppo finally got their rest in the former's bedroom. As one would expect, there wasn't much to her room either – no posters or dolls; no fancy, girlish designs or anything – just a standard bedroom. They laid on Kay's futon, but while Teppo was already fast asleep Kay was still awake, staring at nothing but the ceiling.

She couldn't get what happened earlier out of her head. Terry called her weak; even that man she barely knew called her weak. Then a question popped in her head: what exactly did it mean to be 'strong' then?

She turned her head momentarily towards her Tepig, before slowly tugging her quilt over her face.

* * *

The bell soon rang, signifying the end of school hours. Of course, Kay was alone as she packed her things into her bag, but fortunately it didn't seem like Terry, Vicky or Nicky were in school that day – she was worried that they were going to bully her again for what happened the day before. On her way out though, one of her classmates actually called out to her.

"Hey, Planer!" a boy called out. "We were thinking of heading out to see a movie. One of us can't make it so we have an extra ticket here. We were wondering if you wanna go?"

"E, Eh…?" Kay pointed to herself, almost in disbelief. "Me? Really?"

"Yeah," one of the girls nodded. "We never get to talk much, do we? So what do you say; wanna come with?"

"Sure!" Kay said, beaming. But… "…. Oh, wait… I promised I'd help my dad with the farm today…"

"… oh. That's too bad then… Well, maybe next time then? Come on, guys; maybe Mary in the next class wanna go?" With that, the girl waved to Kay before she headed out with the others outside the classroom.

However, Kay could overhear a few things said when they walked out.

"I don't think I've ever seen Planer much outside of school before… She's usually on her own and stuff."

And so Kay lowered her head, feeling rather disappointed in herself.

But of course, just like what her classmate said, she eventually ended up walking back home on her own. It was depressing than usual; it was a good chance for her to finally get along with some of her classmates! But she did promise her father after all. Despite feeling down, she did help out in the farm, this time without being stopped or delayed by Terry or anyone else. However, her father soon asked her to head back to the city to get some groceries missing from yesterday's list, but this time he asked her to take Teppo with her.

Teppo was more than eager to follow Kay into the city – it didn't get much chance to do so after all.

"Alright, I think that's all of them…" muttered Kay as the two finally walked out of the department store. "I guess it's about time we head back home, right?"

"Tepig!" Teppo agreed.

Just when Kay was about to turn towards the station… someone familiar caught her attention. On the side of the street, walking among the crowd was none other than that scary man from yesterday! His Machop wasn't with him this time though.

She didn't know why – perhaps it was out of curiosity – but she decided to cross the street to follow after him. Honestly, she just wanted to properly thank him for helping her last time since she couldn't do so the day before. Unfortunately, the way she rejected her gratitude that time made her indecisive on better alternatives. She tailed him, making sure she kept her distance. Teppo was confused as to why Kay was following the man, but it played along out of its own natural curiosity. Whenever the man stopped, the two would quickly hide away behind a building or in an alley, and it seemed he never caught on that he was being followed. Eventually he did stop, but only to walk into a building.

As he closed the door behind him shouting "I'm back", Kay and Teppo quickly ran up to the front door, before staring upwards at the giant sign hanging above it.

"'Pokemon Gym'…?" Kay read.

She never went into one of these things before… She gulped down her worries and slowly slid the door open, but what she saw nearly took her breath away.

In the room she was looking into right now, there were several people and Pokemon, but all of them were rigorously training and exercising! Some Pokemon were lifting weights, while some Pokemon were hitting targets from a particular range. They all looked worked up, and the Pokemon's eyes were intense – so much so that Kay felt pretty intimidated from continuing any further.

'Maybe this was a bad idea…' Kay thought, but right when she slowly backed away.

"Yo, you're blocking the door."

An unfamiliar voice spoke behind her, startling her until she almost felt her hair standing up. She quickly turned around to see who it was: it was a young man, and judging from how he looked he was probably a couple of years older than she was. He had short, spiky blonde hair, but he looked like one of those delinquents she normally saw hanging out in front of cafes or stores.

"Huh? Never seen you around here before." He stepped forward, which encouraged Kay to back away in return. The young man sized her up – studying her, even – and for some reason nodded to himself. "Let me guess: you're here for my autograph, aren't you!"

"… huh?" That caught Kay by surprise.

"One of my younger fans, huh?" The man smirked to himself, cupping his chin. "So who should I sign it to, little lady? Perhaps you'd like a picture of me too? Maybe even shake my hand? If you want both, it's going to cost you extra though – so what do you say?" He grinned at Kay, only to be surprised when he saw the poor girl looked really close to tears! "EHHH?! O, Oy, what's with that reaction?"

"What the hell are you doing, you idiot!" Another unfamiliar voice spoke out, but this time it came from behind the young man.

…. who was slapped right in the back of his head. Hard.

This time it was a young woman, but she looked she was around the blonde man's age. She had short hair, but it was kept neat and tidy to give her that 'mature' look on her – though the sides do flare up a little. She possessed a rather tall and lean frame, with what appeared to be a somewhat fashionable yet tomboyish attire over them. She was pretty, but she had an annoyed look on her face that time.

"Making a pass at a girl that younger than you…" she said. "What are you, a pedophile now?"

"Who-… Who are you calling a 'pedophile', you freakin' flat chest!" the blonde man barked back.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?"

Kay and Teppo sweatdropped. Suddenly, the two were in a glaring contest – perhaps this was a good chance for her to run away?

"What's with the damn racket!?" Now there was a familiar voice… but Kay wasn't sure if she wanted to hear that – it was the scary man she followed all the way here! "If anyone's fighting, let me in! …. eh?" That was when his eyes finally fell on Kay, who once again looked like a cornered mouse. "Wait a minute… AH! You're that kid from yesterday! I had a feeling I was being followed… Was that you?"

"N-No..!" Kay said, quickly shaking her head. "I, I mean… Yes! No, I mean…!" She flustered, but quickly reached into her pocket. "H-Here…!"

And she held out to him… a 500 Pokedollar note.

The two bickering at each other suddenly stopped and the man being offered the money simply stared down at the money, looking absolutely dumbfounded.

"What the hell were you doing extorting money from high school girls, Sodo!?" the young woman suddenly shouted. "Don't you have any shame at all! And in broad daylight too!"

"Everyone, listen up~!" the young man shouted at the rest of the room. "Sodo's hit a new low!"

"What the hell are you two on about?!" The man, apparently named 'Sodo', shouted back. "I have NO IDEA what the hell is going on here! Besides, what could I do with JUST 500 Pokedollars, huh!? …. ooops."

He slowly looked back at Kay, who was now confused as she was saddened. "B, But this is all I have… I'm sorry…!"

"Everyone, listen up~!" the young man once again shouted. "Sodo's making a girl cry!"

The others in the room started laughing. "Oy, Sodo! Not so popular with the girls, huh!"

"SHUT UP!" Sodo barked. "You people mind your own business!"

* * *

Eventually, once everything calmed down, Kay explained everything to them, having sat down on a bench while the others continued on with their exercises.

"You sure had us scared, kid," said the young man. "I mean, it's downright believable that Sodo would do something like that."

"Shut up, Blondy!" the bigger man said before looking back down at Kay. "I didn't help ya out for your money, kid. Then again… didn't expect ya to follow me all the way here." Then he crossed his arms, grinning those fang-like teeth to her. "So? Did ya finally tell off those girls to stop picking on ya?"

"Eh?" the young woman asked. "She was bullied?"

But Kay did not have an answer. Instead, she just lowered her head looking like she was the guilty one here.

Sodo once again had a frown on his face. "Oy, oy; even after I said all that to you yesterday you still don't plan on standing up for yourself?"

"Go easy on her, Sodo." The young woman nudged him on the arm a little. "I mean, facing your bullies isn't something easy to do."

"Actually…" Kay finally spoke up. "… I thought about what you said and… I really don't like how they picked on me. But… I don't know what to say or do… What if they just hurt me even more?"

"Then you use that Tepig of yours!" Sodo pointed at Teppo, who looked visibly surprised. "He's yours, ain't he? Go burn off that girl's Furfrou for once – that'll teach her a lesson."

"… but I don't want to hurt her OR her Pokemon… That just… seems wrong."

"Well, you ain't goin' nowhere if you don't a thing," added the blonde man. "But then again, I don't see how we should meddle in her affairs."

"Annoying…" muttered Sodo.

"What was that…?"

"This is annoying me!" Sodo suddenly shouted out. "Get over here!" He gestured his hand for Kay to stand up and follow, but the girl was so worried that she would be scolded again that she could barely feel her legs! "I said get over here!"

"Y-Yes…!" Kay sprang up to her feet, with Teppo straightening itself as well.

She meekly followed after him, all the while wondering what he was going to say or do to her. However, they soon stopped in front of a hanging punching bag, which looked like it was used plenty of times. He stood next to it, and thumped his knuckles on the bag's side.

"Imagine this punching bag as that girl's Furfrou," said Sodo. "And tell your Tepig to hit it."

Kay blinked. "… hit it…?" She could understand what he was trying to tell her, but… She turned her head to look curiously at Sodo. "… how exactly…?"

"What do you mean, 'HOW'?!" Sodo scolded. "Just tell your Tepig to tackle it or something!"

Kay stared back at the punching bag. "… where?"

"ANYWHERE! Just do it or I'll turn 'em into BACON!"

"Y-Yes!" She turned her attention to her Tepig, who looked rather lost on what was going on. "Teppo, you heard him: um… go tackle that punching bag."

The Tepig eventually turned around to face the towering bag, and once it got Kay's approval to go, the little Pokemon hopped and… lightly hit its own body against it. Kay looked pretty happy at that… but the same couldn't be said for Sodo.

… who didn't hesitate at all to show his dissatisfaction… by giving the girl a traditional knuckle-rub on the head!

"What the hell was that wimpy tackle! Tell your Pokemon to put more strength into it!"

"Aren't you being a little too rough on her, Sodo?" the young woman scoffed.

"Mind your own business!"

"What's with him…?" Kay groaned, rubbing the pain off from her head. "But looks like you need to put more back into it, Teppo. Hmm… Oh, I know! How about pretending that it's a Tauros?" The Tepig's expression changed for the better – it seemed to have understood her! "Alright, let's do this one more time. Good luck!"

"Tep!" The Tepig let out a happy cry before putting all its focus on the punching bag again, its smile now gone and its eyes now looking more determined than earlier.

"Oh-ho," chuckled Sodo. "Those are some nice eyes he's got there."

After a little time had passed, the Tepig crouched down a little more as its nose flared up a tad. The Pokemon then sprung forward and upwards. Wham! The sand bag finally shook, and the chain that kept it hanging rattled! The Tepig fell back onto its feet, but not before tumbling over itself in its landing.

"Hey, that's not bad at all!" Sodo whistled, and soon knelt down next to the Pokemon. "Now how about you try running before you start tackling? Gets some momentum going?" Sodo pointed to the back. "Go all the way there and run towards the bag with all your might. BUT!" He held out his hand in front of it. "Don't stop even once. When you get close enough, you jump and tackle that bag again, got that?"

"… I thought you just wanted him to tackle it once…?" Kay asked.

"Ceh, I'm not completely satisfied yet. Come on, go tell him to get started."

Kay nodded, though somewhat reluctantly. She instructed Teppo to do exactly what Sodo said, explaining that it would make its tackling harder and stronger. With a few encouraging words, the Tepig was more than eager to go. It came to stop several feet away from the bag, and though Kay and Teppo did not realize it, but the majority of the gym went quiet just to look at their direction. The Tepig started by tapping its paw against the floor, its eyes never leaving its target. It was only on the fifth tap did the small Pokemon start running, and just as instructed it ran with everything it's got. Its target was closing in fast, and the Pokemon's eyes burned with more energy the faster and closer it got to its goal. Finally, it came to that point where it was close enough.

The Tepig bended its legs before quickly springing up towards the punching bag, its momentum leaving a trail of dust. But, as it flew midair, it tucked its legs and twisted its body slightly sideways, planning to use all of its body weight in this one tackle. Until finally…

**WHAM!**

To the surprise of everyone in the room: the punching bag literally flew backwards at an incredible arc! Eyes widened at the sight, and ears perked up at the noise. The punching bag soon swung back, swooshing by Kay's smiling Tepig, who seemed to be the only one with an obvious smile aside from its owner.

"Whoa!" Kay cheered, clasping her hands together. "That was so cool, Teppo! That was-"

But before she could finish, hands – Sudo's hands – fell on her shoulders and turned her towards him. What she saw after was what she could only describe as an 'evil smile'.

"You're a pretty -interesting kid-," said Sodo… in a menacing tone. "Just wait 'till the Old Man meets you."

"E, Eh…?" Kay could only blink, and then she looked around at the others as if they could 'rescue' her. "What's going on…? What'd I do…?" Teppo closed in on her, looking rather frightened at the sudden silence of the whole gym.

"Come over here!" With that evil grin on his face, Sodo yanked Kay by the wrist, pulling her away further into the gym, with Teppo wrapping itself around one of Kay's legs.

As the three left the scene, the others slowly turned their attention to the punching bag, which now hung as it should be but with a visible mark where Teppo had tackled earlier.

"Oy…" the blonde young man muttered, his eyes still glued on it. "… did you see how far that punching bag went…?"

People looked at each other, apparently understanding what he was trying to say.

"…. what the hell kind of monster just walked into our gym…?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** 2006. **2006. **That was how long ago since I last updated my first Pokemon fanfiction "_Gambarimasu! Pokemon School!_". Looking back, the characters weren't really fleshed out but it's a shame I could never continue it since I remembered I had tons of fun writing them in their story. Sure, there were a lot of loop holes and there were too many characters for me to keep up with, but fun is fun, and I loved reading the reviews from back then. Unfortunately, I have no intentions of continuing that one, but I AM finally starting to write up a new one!

Taking inspiration from what I think are unlikely sources - which, to be specific, _Hajime no Ippo_ and _Ashita no Joe_ - I've decided to write a Pokemon fanfic where Pokemon Battling is actually considered a serious competitive sport (similar to boxing, kickboxing, sumo, football, etc.). Our main characters are named Kay Planner (_Kaya Nakahara_ if in Japanese), a girl who doesn't stand out socially, and Teppo, her beloved Tepig. Unlike the anime series but following the trend from my previous Pokemon fanfic, they don't actually go on a 'Pokemon Journey', per say. Instead, it's a journey of self-improvement, where the story will follow the two as they mature through Pokemon Battling. Aided by their inseparable bond, they meet new friends, create rivalries, engage in epic battles, dealing with emotional and physical strains - all to reach their goal: 'to be strong'.

Funny note: Kay was originally supposed to be an energetic and enthusiastic character, but I figured that's a bit too close to Ash Ketchum. In the end I decided to make her timid, but at the same time hardworking and honest. I figured the readers can relate and connect more with her that way.

So what do you think? You think the story could catch on? Please leave a review!

Thank you, and it's good to finally be back in!


	2. The First Battle

**Episode 02 – "The First Battle"**

Kay now found herself standing inside a different room, somewhere upstairs in the gym. Around her she was surrounded by several pictures, all showing either a Pokemon or a Pokemon with their Trainers. Standing next to her right was none other than Sodo, while Teppo stood to her left, looking just as intimidated as she was. Why? Because in front of them, sitting behind a desk, were a pair of sharp eyes – situated under a pair of thick eyebrows - looking them over like a hunting Braviary.

It was an old man, shorter than she was and many times shorter than Sodo himself. He was a bald man, but the entire lower area of his face was covered by his thick grey beard. His skin was tanned – much like Sodo's – and he wore a stoic expression. Currently he had his fingers wrapped together just in front of his mouth, with his elbows propped on his desk.

"What do you think, Old Man?" Sodo asked, which was actually the first thing he did after entering this room.

Kay and Teppo, of course, had no idea what he was saying.

The old man didn't say anything right away and once again looked over Kay with observant eyes. Finally, he turned his eyes – without moving his head – towards Sodo, saying, "… I didn't know you preferred girls this young, Sodo."

"**THAT'S NOT WHY I BROUGHT HER HERE, YOU DAMN OLD MAN!" **

Kay could only sweatdrop.

"I was asking you if you think they should join the gym!" This surprised Kay, for obvious reasons. "And not just for exercising..." Then there came that mischievous grin of his again. "… but as a Pokemon Trainer!"

"E, Eh…?" Kay blinked at that, but that was because she wasn't sure how else she was supposed to react to that.

Again, the old man looked her over, and this time Kay fidgeted, lowering her head out of embarrassment as her whole body went straight stiff.

"What kind of joke are you trying to pull this time, Sodo?" the old man asked, slowly standing up from his seat. "She doesn't look like she'd even make it to the ring." His eyes shifted back towards Kay. "No offense, kid."

But before Kay could reassure him that she was not offended… Sodo slapped his hand onto Kay's shoulder, startling her!

"Oy, don't decide yet until you see what she and her Pokemon can do! That Pokemon of hers may not look much… but it's pretty strong, you know! Ain't that right, Teppy!" Kay tried to correct him… but he kept on going. "Come on, Old Man! Why don't you test her out or something?"

"Hmph," the old man scoffed, walking past them. "I'm quite busy right now so I don't have the time. I have to head downstairs and get ready for Inez's training. She's supposed to be sparring with Parker today."

"What, screw that loser~. Why don't you have her spar with HER here?" Again, Sodo slapped his hand onto Kay's shoulder, just before she could protest. "Come on, Old Man, here's the deal: if she can't handle against Inez, then she leaves."

"W, What are you talking about?" Kay stuttered. "What do you mean by 'spar'?"

"Hmph," the old man scoffed. "You're not going to give up until I do what you want, aren't you?" The old man eyed Kay again, but this time for a shorter time. "Alright, Sodo, but remember your word: if she loses, she's going straight out of here, you got that?" Just like that, the old man turned away and walked out of the room.

"Well, lucky you!" said Sodo, giving Kay a thumbs up. "Looks like you're going to get your chance to show off your Tepig's strength!"

'What did I just get myself into…?' were the words said in Kay's head.

* * *

Kay, Teppo and Sodo walked back downstairs, but this time they took a different flight of stairs that led to the basement. The room was just as wide as the room upstairs, but with a lot more unused equipment near the walls. The material used here seemed to be made out of a more enforced solid, but Kay couldn't guess what it was – definitely not just bricks or hard wood, that was for sure. In the middle of the room was a Pokeball pattern drawn on the floor – Kay remembered seeing something like this on television.

"There," Sodo said, pointing ahead. "That's Inez."

Kay straightened her view. Several feet in front of her was the old man from earlier, but this time he's joined by two others: one appeared to be a middle-aged man wearing a pair of glasses. He had a gentle look to him – kind of like her father's – and had short, neat hair. His body was leaning a little bit on the heavy side.

Then, there was the other person. It was a girl around her age, but she radiated an aura of confidence despite standing so far from her. To Kay, she was pretty – perhaps prettier than most of the girls she knew – and she had long silk-like blonde hair, tied to a loose ponytail behind her. Her eyes were a pair of sapphires, but they were sharp and focused. She had her arms crossed as she listened to the two men, but then suddenly looked at Kay's direction.

Kay, on the other hand, simply and timidly looked away.

"Is she really the one I'm supposed to be sparring with, Leader?" Inez asked, taking note of an uneasy Kay. "She doesn't look strong at all."

"It was Sodo's idea," the old man said. "But it doesn't matter now; as long as you beat her Pokemon down, she'll leave. That way, we can start your actual sparring with Parker. She owns a Tepig though, so this could be a bit interesting."

The blonde girl sighed. "I suppose. Well, let's just get this over with."

She looked at Kay once more before simply turning her attention away, but all Kay wondered was if she had accidentally offended anyone.

"Why are ya lookin' so gloomy for?" asked Sodo.

"I don't think they like me very much…" Kay muttered. "B, Besides! I don't even know why I suddenly have to spar against her! This… This is Pokemon Battling but… but I've never done anything like that with Teppo at all."

Her Tepig nodded furiously at that.

"Ha ha! Well, there's nothing you can do about it now! You were the one who decided to follow me here!" Now Kay wished she didn't… "Anyway, that's Inez Everett. She's what you'd call a 'prodigy' – someone who's gifted with the talent to become a Pokemon Trainer. The only reason she hasn't gotten her Trainer License yet is because she wasn't old enough, but that's about to change this year." Kay was pretty impressed with what she's hearing. "Well, to put a long story short: she's definitely gonna kick a newbie's ass like yours!"

"Then why am I even sparring against her?"

"Shut up! It's too late to turn back now. Look… she's already waiting for you at the other side of the ring."

And Kay looked back at Inez's direction, and true to Sodo's words, she was actually waiting at one end of the Pokeball pattern on the floor. She just stood there, with her arms crossed and her eyes fixed at her. She was waiting for her!

"Come on, don't keep her waiting! She'll get really pissed off if you stand here any longer. The Old Man never said you have to win against her – just make sure your Pokemon can survive! Good luck, you two!"

And Sodo simply pushed Kay towards the patterned floor, while using one foot to nudge Teppo to do the same. Kay was hesitant, but eventually she moved to the other end of the 'ring'. She raised her head a little just to look at Inez, only to be met by a pair of angry blue eyes! Speaking of 'blue', Kay felt like she could turn blue at any moment too.

'This is a joke…' Inez thought to herself. 'What exactly does Sodo expect to accomplish by pairing me up against some stranger? Oh well, the sooner I finish this, the sooner I don't have to deal with it.' Finally, she reached to her side, swiftly taking out a regular-sized Pokeball. With a click on its button, she threw it in front of her, right into the battle area before it snapped open. "I choose you, Blaze."

And out came a Combusken, another Fire-type, and the evolved form of a Torchic!

'Teppo's supposed to fight that?' Kay thought.

This Combusken was definitely well-trained, judging by its eyes and how it quickly got into its fighting stance. Teppo noticed this too, finding intimidation from just simply having their eyes meet.

"Don't get nervous, you two!" Sodo shouted from behind them.

"Easy for him to say…" Kay groaned.

The man with the glasses raised his hand, only to swing it back down saying, "Fight Start!"

"Blaze!" Inez called out. "Use Quick Attack!"

The Combusken let out a battle cry before it dashed forward, its speed taking both Kay and Teppo by surprise. Before the latter knew it, it was already standing in front of it, with its leg raised backwards. Another cry from the bipedal Pokemon and it swung its scaly limb right onto Teppo's head, knocking it down and tumbling a few feet away!

"T-Teppo…!" Kay cried out. And she was about to run to pick him back up but…

"Stop right there!" Sodo suddenly shouted. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! If you run into the ring, you'll lose by disqualification! Plus… look!"

And Kay quickly looked back at her Tepig, and actually to her surprise, it was getting back up! It shook its head, its eyes once again focused on the Combusken still standing not far from it.

"Why are you just standing there!" Sodo continued. "You're its Trainer – tell it to do something!"

But what could she tell Teppo to do? She hardly ever watched the Pokemon Battles they show on television, let alone ever engage in one! Not to mention that she never really gave Teppo any 'commands' that were battle-oriented. But if she didn't think of something quick, Inez's Combusken will surely come attacking again anytime soon. That's when it hit her: though it was forced by Sodo earlier, there was one attack Teppo should know already.

"Teppo!" Kay finally called out. "Use 'Tackle'…!"

The Tepig looked a little confused at first but soon it recalled the same thing its owner did. It quickly rushed forward, gritting its teeth, and was aiming itself right at the Combusken. Inez, however, felt a bit disappointed – she was hoping her opponent would call for a better move than a simple 'tackle'. But all the disappointment was brushed away when she noticed something was off: the Tepig was moving faster than she anticipated!

The Combusken also saw this and through instincts it stepped to the side, just barely dodging the incoming Tepig. However, it was still both the Combusken and Inez that had their breaths taken away. The move may have merely grazed the Combusken's arm feathers, but the way they swayed violently in the wake of Teppo's attack left little to their imagination on what could have happened if it had taken that attack square-on.

Even the two older men standing behind Inez were left speechless.

'Amazing…!' the old man thought. 'Though it missed… that one tackle had a lot of power behind it. No doubt about it… Despite it looking like that, it's-…!'

' -… strong…!' Inez thought, similarly thinking about Teppo's 'simple' Tackle. 'Has these two never really been in a Pokemon Battle…?' Inez couldn't help but smirk to herself. 'Interesting… Let's see just how strong it really is then!' "Blaze, use another Quick Attack!"

"Combusken…!" the Fire-type bird Pokemon cried out.

Again, the more evolved Pokemon dashed at the Tepig just as the latter was turning around to face its opponent. The Combusken nailed another kick, but this time it got Teppo right in the side of its face! The Tepig was once again knocked away… but again to Inez's surprise, the little Pokemon managed to stay on all its feet this time!

"Teppo, are you alright?" asked Kay.

"Tep…!" The Pokemon nodded, its eyes never leaving Inez's Combusken.

"T, Try another Tackle!"

The Tepig quickly sprang into action, and like a repeated performance earlier the Combusken stepped aside just before the Tepig could make any contact. However, the Tepig grazed more than just its feathers now, which was evident from the way the Combusken almost lost its balance. But even more surprising: before Inez could shout out her next command…

… the Tepig came right after the Combusken once more! Unlike earlier where it had its body completely turned away from it, it seemed this time the Tepig stopped its earlier Tackle while twisting its entire body around at the same time! The Combusken couldn't move out of the way in time, but instead it chose to cross its arms in front of it. Teppo slammed itself against Blaze's blocking attempt… and the Combusken was sent skidding backwards a few feet away!

''Balance Control'…?!' the old man shouted in his head, once again surprised at the Tepig's tenacity. 'It can do that even without training?! And to push Inez's Combusken that far despite its block…'

Inez on the other hand felt somewhat insulted. Her Combusken was being showed up by a beginner! "Blaze!" she called out once again. "Finish this off already! Use 'Double Kick'!"

And the Combusken rushed forward again, swinging a kick right across Teppo's head. The Tepig's head flew back, but the Combusken used the momentum its kick to swing its other leg after! The back of Combusken's foot struck Teppo across the other side of its head, knocking it straight back down into the ground!

"Teppo…!' cried out its owner.

The Tepig was left lying on its side on the floor.

And the man with the glasses – though momentarily distracted by what just transpired – began counting.

"1! 2…!"

"Oy, kid!" Sodo once again shouted. "If your Pokemon doesn't stand up by the count of ten, it loses!"

'There's no use…' thought Inez, closing her eyes for a bit while letting out a sigh. 'It was surprisingly powerful, but it took a full-on attack from Blaze right in the head. At least the fight was better than-…' "Wha-….?!" Inez's eyes snapped wide open; the Tepig was actually still trying to get back up on its feet! Even the Combusken was left quiet! 'How could it still try standing up after all that?!'

"Teppo…" Kay was actually more worried than happy to see her Pokemon finally getting back on its feet.

The Tepig's face was bruised and there was a little swelling on the side of its face; it even looked exhausted. But its eyes stayed on Blaze. As it continued to pant, little flames blew from its nose. And without even waiting for Kay to say or do anything, the Tepig once again charged forward, attempting another Tackle on its own!

"Teppo…!"

"Hm…?!" The old man was just as surprised.

Inez gritted her teeth at this point. "Blaze! COUNTER…!"

The Tepig kept going at incredible speed and soon it launched itself at the Combusken with the remaining energy and strength it had left. Unfortunately, its attack didn't even touch the other Fire-type at all this time; just before the Tepig could connect, the Combusken swung its leg for yet another kick, catching the Tepig in the middle of its tackle right it in the cheek!

All that power put into its last Tackle was through right back at it twice-fold.

Teppo was knocked aside and landed hard on the floor into a roll. The man with the glasses quickly ran forward to check up on it… and eventually crossed his hands in the air.

Teppo was finally knocked out.

"Teppo!" Kay called out. "Teppo, are you okay!"

Kay quickly ran into the ring to check up on her Pokemon. As she picked it up, the Tepig slowly opened its eyes, flashing a weak, little smile – much to Kay's relief. From the distance, Inez watched the two and then slowly stared at her hand. It was shaking, and she could even feel herself sweating a little. She couldn't believe she got so worked up fighting someone so new to Pokemon battling. She wasn't alone though: everyone else was at awe too.

"Ceh…" Inez turned away, and soon walked towards the door Kay and Sodo came from earlier, with her Combusken following after. However, she stopped momentarily near Sodo, who gave her a smrik – as if he was silently saying, 'How's that?'. "….." Inez didn't say a thing though and simply continued on her way up through the door and up the stairs.

On her way though, she was met with the young man with dyed blonde hair, who was on his way down.

"Oh, where are you going, Inez?" he asked. "Heh, sorry… I totally forgot we were supposed to spar today. Please don't get mad." He clasped his hands together, giving her a nervous smile. "I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

"…" At first, Inez frowned at him and for a moment there he thought he was going to get a scolding. To his surprise, she simply smiled and continued walking past him. "There's no need for that. I'm satisfied now."

"… wha…? Did I miss something…?"

'That girl and her Tepig…' Inez thought as she and her Combusken opened the door towards the main room. 'She's definitely still green… but if she can properly train it…' She stopped, turning to look at her Pokemon, and noticing the bruises on its arms. 'Even after Blaze blocked that tackle, it still left marks like these. Heh… Looks like Pokemon Battling is about to get more interesting.'

* * *

Sometime later, Sodo was back at the old man's office, still grinning as usual. The only ones with him in the room right now were the old man and the man with glasses, with the former staring out the window with his hands wrapped behind him, while the latter simply looked between the two. Kay on the other hand was downstairs, told to wait while she treated Teppo's bruises.

"So what do you think now, old man?" Sodo asked, crossing his arms together.

"Hmmm….." The old man stared sharply out the window, musing over Kay and Inez's little 'spar' earlier. He couldn't get the image out of his head: how the Tepig continued to stand no matter how much it was beaten down, or even more, the incredible power it displayed behind its tackles. "An attacking power that sends chills down the spines of even those just watching the fight… and it gave even Inez's Combusken trouble. There's no mistaking it, Sodo…" The old man eventually turned around, his eyes meeting Sodo's. "… you've brought in quite the monster."

Sodo's grin only grew wider. "So it's decided then?"

The old man smirked – the closest thing to a smile he gave that day. "Tell her that she could come by the gym first thing tomorrow." Sodo nodded and the old man watched as he left the room with his head held high. "Hmph. That Sodo… The girl's Pokemon is without a doubt strong, but there's still little I can say about its owner. A Pokemon that strong would still be useless if not partnered up with someone capable."

The man with the glasses smiled. "It's been a while since we've found someone like this, huh, Leader?" And he could see that the old man was feeling fired up – something that had not happened in a long while. "Looks like the gym is going to get a little more lively soon."

Like a cue, Sodo soon returned… but without Kay or her Tepig.

"Hm?" Leader asked. "Well? Where is she? I'd like to talk to her."

Sodo looked to the side, trying to avoid looking directly at the old man. "….. she freakin' ran off."

"….. what…?"

"T…. That freakin' kid ran away!"

Indeed. When Sodo and the old man was busy upstairs, Kay and her Tepig took off running, much to the surprise of everyone else in the gym – Inez included. In her defense, however, she had mostly no idea what was going on or what was going to happen to her if she had stayed any longer. She only came to the gym to meet with Sodo and before she knew it people were talking about how she would be using Teppo for more Pokemon Battling!

Who knew what else Sodo would have made her do?

With Teppo in her arms, she ran as far as she could before coming to a stop near the bus station. She panted, before letting out an exhausted sigh.

"I didn't think we'd ever get out of there…" Kay said. "But…"

She recalled the spar she had with the girl named Inez. Though she was confused and was forced to have Teppo engage in a Pokemon Battle with that Combusken, she couldn't help but feel pretty excited. She had never felt anything like it before: she was even shouting and cheering for Teppo, which she rarely got to do outside her home. As for the Tepig itself, it looked pretty satisfied despite the beating it got.

But she shook her head, dismissing the thoughts. There was no way she could ever participate in anything like Pokemon Battling.

Then it her her.

"… I can't help but feel like I forgot something-… Ah…! **Dad…**!"

… and her poor father was left waiting at home, still hoping that his daughter would return soon with the groceries.

* * *

**FazzEagle: **This chapter is a little shorter than the previous one, but it stands as an important point in Kay and Teppo's lives. In this chapter we are introduced to the 'Gym Leader' and also Inez - two characters that will play major roles in Kay's development as a Pokemon Trainer. The chapter also gives a hint on what to expect in Pokemon Battles in future chapters. Also I know I didn't give a clear description of Kay while other characters did, but that's on purpose. That's because how she was briefly described in the previous chapter is **NOT** how she'll look like throughout the rest of the story. Chapter 2 is still a prologue, however, but the real story will come soon!

Also, thank you for the review! Hopefully more readers will come once more chapters are uploaded!


	3. Breaking the Mold

**Episode 03 – "Breaking the Mold"**

Thomas Planer – Kay's father – sat in the living room, looking over some papers placed on a low, wooden table. It was night time. Kay and Teppo were already asleep by then, but he still needed to look over their budget for next month. Whether it was good or bad he didn't know, however. Instead, he was feeling rather distracted over something his daughter said earlier after she had returned from a long trip to the city. Seeing Kay somewhat exhausted and Teppo's bruises and bandages made him worry if something happened to them, but as usual the girl never told him exactly what happened.

She probably didn't want her father to worry, he thought. That girl was too nice sometimes for her own good.

But it was what she said during dinner that took him by surprise.

"Um, Dad…" she asked, speaking up during the meal. "Is… Pokemon Battling fun?"

'Pokemon Battling'. He never heard her ask him about something like that before. Of course, he himself didn't know for certain if the sport was 'fun' – he was never into it as well and very much ignored it throughout his life.

But he saw her before she went to bed earlier: alone in the living room with a newspaper planted flat on the floor. He could tell that she was reading the Sports section, and he noticed from the look on her expression that she was absorbed into something. And when she left for bed, he decided to look over it as well just to see what could have caught his daughter's attention that much.

And wouldn't he know it: the main article on that section was none other than on Pokemon Battling, complete with a clear picture showing a Pokemon Trainer getting his hand raised in victory.

"….."

But he couldn't help but smile to himself.

"It's so rare to see that girl that interested in something…"

* * *

The next day, on her way to school, Kay let out a little yawn. She slept pretty late last night, which wasn't a surprise to her because her mind was pretty clouded from the events of yesterday. The Pokemon Gym; the prodigy Inez; the cruel and sadistic Sodo; the thrilling Pokemon Battle between Teppo and Blaze – she couldn't stop thinking about them. In fact, she was even sure she even dreamt about it.

But at the same time, she actually wondered if all of that even happened. It was unrealistic in her head, but she assured herself that she will forget all about it soon enough.

That was, until she accidentally bumped into someone.

"Ah, sorry…" Kay said. "I wasn't-… ah."

And her eyes suddenly widened comically; it was that woman from the Pokemon Gym! And the blonde man was with her! They seemed to be wearing jogging attire, and next to them were two different Pokemon: a Toxicroak and Manectric.

"Oh, hey…!" the woman greeted, smiling down at Kay. "Almost didn't recognize you in your uni-…"

And Kay suddenly and quickly bolted past them!

"Eh? She ran off?!"

"… what the hell did you do to her?" Parker asked, looking at the direction Kay just ran off to.

"I didn't do anything! … hey, wait a minute. I recognize that uniform…" And she turned her head to look towards the same direction.

Meanwhile, Kay was still running, worried that those two would give her chase for running off so suddenly like that. She didn't even know why she did it – it just happened on instinct! After some time, she stopped to catch her breath near a lamp post, hugging her bag close to her chest. "That startled me…" she muttered to herself. "… ah, I think I might have come off as rude." She looked behind her. "Should I go back and-…" But she shook her head and straightened herself up. "No, no… I have to get to school."

* * *

But she didn't feel at all better at school either. Because she had to deal with other problems.

"Yep," said Terry. "Looks like that's all of it; it's about time!"

"See?" Vicky asked. "Told ya you could make it in time if you ran."

Just another day when Terry and her two friends were in school, Kay thought as she was once again forced to become their errand girl and get them stuff from the school's canteen. They didn't even thank her for it and simply dismissed her like she needed their permission to leave. The rest of the school day went on as usual, but Kay still couldn't get the image of Teppo and Blaze battling out of her head.

Eventually the bell rang, signaling another end of a school day, and that meant Kay can go straight home to Teppo and help out at the farm. However, on her way towards the front gate, she could see several students staring at the side after walking past it. The only thing Kay could make out first was one of them asking his friend if 'she' was someone's girlfriend.

"She's a real beauty," whispered his friend.

Kay blinked and upon stepping out of the gate, she turned her attention to the side. To her surprise, it was none other than…

… Inez!

"Ah." Her sharp sapphires turned towards Kay, slowly pushing her back off the wall. "There you are."

"….?!" And Kay suddenly and quickly-

"Don't run," said Inez, freezing Kay on the spot right after the latter spun around. Inez looked at her with an annoyed expression, soon crossing her arms over her chest. "Honestly… Tessa was right; she warned me that you were probably going to do that." She then casually walked past Kay, before saying, "Anyways, come with me."

"Huh…?"

Inez turned around, looking at her with a pair of serious eyes. "I want to talk to you. About yesterday."

* * *

For once in her life since a very long time, Kay was walking away from school with someone. Sure, Inez wasn't someone she would call her 'friend', but it was a nice change of pace. The walk with her was quiet, with neither of them saying much to each other aside from Inez asking if Kay wouldn't mind entering a café with her.

'So this is what it's like to be hanging out with someone else after school', Kay thought to herself, slowly calling for a little smile on her face.

But…

'Why do I feel so much pressure?!'

It felt like she was going to get a scolding!

They sat at an empty table, with both sitting directly opposite of each other. It had been a long time since Kay stopped by this sort of place so she pretty much ordered something simple and cheap – to be specific: a simple fruit juice drink. However, Inez herself just ordered a glass of water – strange, because Kay assumed she would order something 'more'. As they waited for their drinks, there was an awkward silence between them – though the feeling may not be mutual from Inez's side.

'So tense…!' Kay thought, before attempting to break the silence. "There… sure are a lot of people here, huh?" Kay asked, flashing a nervous smile.

"Hm…?" Inez shifted her eyes towards her. "Yeah, I guess so."

"…." Then after a bit more time had passed: "… how's your Combusken doing?"

"He's doing alright in his Pokeball."

"…." As the awkwardness went on, Kay felt her image of herself happily chatting with friends in a café shatter like glass. Eventually though their drinks arrive at the same time, and after bowing her head politely to the waitress, Kay picked up her glass. "T… Thank you for the drink." And she raised the glass to her lips, taking a nice, slow sip.

But then Inez asked, "So are you avoiding the Pokemon Gym by any chance?"

"….?!" That startled Kay, and she coughed on her drink – to which Inez sweatdropped to. "W, Where did you hear that?"

"Hmm…. Well, I heard it from Sodo yesterday," Inez pointed out. "He was going non-stop all evening shouting 'that brat ran away'." Kay almost felt like her whole body shrunk from shame. "'… 'how could she just run off like that'…" Again, Kay shrunk. "…. 'wait until I find her again'." Then she looked Kay straight-on, with eyes piercing right through hers. "… then Tessa told me you ran off as soon as you saw her this morning."

'So Tessa was the one from earlier…' Kay noted.

"Well?" Inez asked, crossing her arms before leaning against her seat. "Are you? Avoiding the gym and all?"

"W, Well, I wouldn't say 'avoiding'…" Kay flustered. "It's just… after what happened yesterday, I… wasn't sure what to do so I…. uh… That is…" There were literally swirls in her eyes as she continued to stumble on her words. "Sorry if I… uh…"

Inez sighed, and turned her head away. "… no, I think I should apologize."

"Huh…?"

"I wasn't mad at you for that Pokemon Battle yesterday. I can understand that… since I walked away so quickly without even saying a word… may have rubbed off on you differently." Kay blinked. "In fact, I was satisfied with it. And it's been a long time since I've felt so fired up because of a Pokemon Battle. So don't misunderstand…" Inez finally looked back at Kay. "Though you lost, you showed great promise. If anything, it'd be nice to see how far you'll get in the future."

Kay had to blush at that – aside from her father, no one had praised her like that in a long time. "T, Thank you very much…"

"So please accept my apology. I didn't mean to scare you away like that."

"What? No, no, no, no…!" Kay quickly waved her in front of her. "You… You got it all wrong!"

"Oh…?"

"I didn't run away because of that Pokemon Battle… To be honest, I… actually enjoyed it too. And I haven't seen Teppo that lively before. It's just…"

"Hm…?"

"… that man, Sodo, scares me."

Inez sweatdropped at that. 'Damn that guy…' Inez thought, recalling something Sodo said earlier. 'He told me that she ran off because of ME. I'll get him later for this…' "Don't worry about him," said Inez, letting out a sigh. "He acts like a jerk… but he didn't mean any real harm. In fact, he was really looking forward to you joining the gym as a Pokemon Trainer."

Kay gulped. "T, That's… another reason why I ran out yesterday." Slowly, she lowered her head, avoiding meeting Inez's eyes but still maintaining a weak smile. "I… really can't see myself becoming a Pokemon Trainer. There's just no way someone like me could do something like that with Teppo…"

"Obviously it will be difficult at first," Inez pointed out. "But who knows, maybe you'll get used to it."

"There's impossible…" Kay added. "I'm… not really someone that strong. A lot of people have called me 'weak'; I even get picked on at school... Teppo may be strong, but with me as his Pokemon Trainer...? I just… don't think I'm cut out for something like that."

"…" Inez's expression turned into a frown. After some time, she slowly stood up from her seat. "… I'm heading out."

"Ah… but…"

"So is that all you're going to be?" Inez asked. "Are you really that fine living that way? 'I'm too weak to do this'… 'I'm too weak to do that' – only cowards would say something like those. I could tell from our spar that your Tepig was more than eager to battle for you… but it seems its owner doesn't understand its feelings."

"…!" That was a blow to Kay.

"Your Tepig chose to fight, but you chose to run. I'm sorry for your situation… but if you're just going to let everyone walk all over you, then we have nothing more to discuss. The least you could do was have a better reason to not consider taking up Pokemon Battling."

"….." Kay lowered her head again.

"Here I thought I found someone interesting… but it seems I'm mistaken." Inez backed away a little from her. "Pokemon Battling doesn't need someone like you around."

With that last cold statement, Inez turned away and soon headed back out without saying another word or even looking back. Kay, on the other hand, was left alone at the table, feeling like she just completely disgraced herself.

* * *

"I'm home…"

Her greeting was definitely the weakest it had ever been that time, and she walked up to her house feeling like a Golem was sitting right on her shoulders. Not to mention it was very much late in the evening! Even Teppo, who greeted her arrival, sensed something was off with her, and it looked up at her with worry. Kay would stare down at her Pokemon, recalling Inez's words about how it was willing to stand up and fight for her.

Then her father stepped out of the kitchen, with a newspaper in hand.

"Kay, where have you been?" he asked. But her father could definitely tell that his daughter was feeling down by just getting one look at her. In fact, he quickly noticed the puffiness under her eyes. "….." But he just watched as his daughter walked past him. It was an unusual sight of her in that form – normally, even in the worse of days, she would always come back with a smile on her face. But this was not going to continue any longer. "**Kay."**

His voice and expression turned stern – two things that Kay rarely ever see her father use. Though she was nervous, she slowly turned around to appropriately face him, but she kept her head down to hide her own expression.

"I know something is going on with you," said her father. "I don't know what exactly that is, but as your father I won't just stand here and see you behaving this way." Kay tried to raise her head, but seeing her father's angry face scared it back down. "If there's anything bothering you, you should go ahead and tell me."

"…"

Her father narrowed his eyes, before he stepped towards her. Kay – fearing the worst – closed her eyes, bracing herself for whatever that would come to her. But instead…

… she felt her father's hands gently falling on her shoulders.

"Keep your head up." His voice became gentle once more, and as she looked up at him, his stern face was already replaced by an assuring smile. "I'm sorry if I've upset you, Kay; you have been helping me out ever since your mother had passed away and not once have you ever asked for anything in return. But no father would willingly take over his daughter's life for his own selfish needs." He chuckled a little. "I know you're just trying to help and I appreciate it greatly. But perhaps it's time… for you to find something that you yourself want to do? Your mother would have wanted it the same way."

"…. But… I'm not as strong as her…."

"Nonsense!" Thomas quickly corrected. "You're the strongest person I know and your mother would have said the same thing. So please don't worry about me… You should go out there and live your own life, and I will always support you no matter what. And you know that Teppo will do the same thing for you too."

"…." Kay thought about it, but it didn't take her long. Her eyes lit up with determination, and she looked her father straight in the eye, giving him a firm nod. "I'll be right back, Dad! Teppo, do you know what I'm thinking?"

"Tep! Tep!" The Tepig was jumping around eagerly.

"I'll try to be back as soon as I can! Come on, Teppo!"

The girl put her school bag on the floor against the floor and went straight for the door. The Tepig, feeling pumped up, shot a tiny flame out of its nose before running after her. Thomas eyed the bag on the floor and then towards the entrance, smiling to himself.

"That girl… She really is like her mother."

Kay and Teppo ran out and past the fields, hoping to catch the next bus to the city. 'Teppo was trying to tell me to stand up for myself, but I…!' She shifted her attention to Tepo, who continued to run next to her. 'I can't stay weak anymore…!' she thought, continuing to run with all her might. 'I WON'T stay weak anymore…!' But the girl unfortunately tripped over a rock on the side… and she winced as she felt her knee scrapped. However, the image of her Tepig continuing to stand back up after getting knocked down over and over again flashed in her head. 'I will find out…' Pushing herself to fight the pain, she got back on her feet and continued in her haste.

'… I will find out what it means to be 'strong'!'

* * *

"Alright, that's enough for today!" the Gym Leader said, standing near the punching bags where Sodo, Inez, Sodo's Machop, and Blaze were. "That was good work, all four of you. Now get your Pokemon some rest. Especially you and your Pokemon, Inez, since your Pokemon Trainer Test is just around the corner."

"Yes, sir!" both Sodo and Inez said in unison – though with less energy from the former.

"Oy~!" Coming from the other side of the room, Parker came waving to them, with Tessa following him not far behind. "Another good workout day, huh? We could hear your Pokemon hitting those bags from across the room."

"Looks like Inez is definitely ready for that test!" Tessa added, before recalling something else. "Oh, right! What ever happened to that girl from yesterday? Did you find her in her school?"

"Don't bother asking," says Inez, draping a towel over the back of her neck. "There's no way someone like that will ever become a Pokemon Trainer."

"Eh…. Is that so."

"Pokemon Battling is not an easy sport." The old man – the Gym Leader – once again spoke up. "You have to be able to pit your Pokemon against others', meaning you have to be ready to put its life on the line every time it steps into the Battle Ring. It takes a toll on the Trainer in more ways than one, especially when they share a close bond with one another – it's why many choose to drop out before they even get started. I'm sure that the girl must have thought over it." He let out a sigh. "It's a shame, of course… but if her heart and mind aren't up for it, there's really nothing we can do."

However, Sodo was about to say otherwise. While everyone paid attention to the Gym Leader, he caught sight of a certain someone running past the windows near the entrance. A smile slowly found its way on him, before he said the words, "I wouldn't say that, Old Man."

The front door slid open hastily!

And everyone else in the room turned their attention to it.

A girl stood at the door, leaning against it after pushing it open with what energy she had left. Her face, hands and uniform were covered in dust, and aside from her skin glistening with sweat her pants for breath made it obvious how physically drained she was. Her hair was a mess; her fringe all tangled and sticking to her forehead; her knee was scrapped. A Tepig stood in front of her, its chest rising and falling from its own fatigue. Nonetheless both of them each had a look of fiery determination in their eyes.

Tessa and Parker were obviously surprised, but the other three kept their cool.

"I've…" Kay finally said between breaths. "… decided…!"

The Gym Leader's head perked up at that.

"… I want to be a Pokemon Trainer!"

* * *

**FazzEagle:** And so the Prologue Chapters are finally over! In the next chapter, we will enter the next phase of Kay's development on becoming a Pokemon Trainer: the training! In this chapter, the purpose was to show just how loyal Kay is to her family, how she puts others' needs first before hers, and that she doesn't wish for anyone to come to any harm because of her mistakes or incompetency. It also serves to differentiate between Kay and Inez's characters: one is soft-spoken and would rather keep to herself, the other will freely speak her mind and prefers to take the initiative, showing a more matured persona. I have to admit though: the Inez character is growing on me more than I first thought.

Also Kay's look will soon debut a new look in the next chapter - look forward to it!

Side note: I wonder if I should start taking in OCs like I did back in my previous Pokemon fanfic? Might be tricky since this story will focus more on battling than the romance (though romance WILL still be around - just not so much).


	4. Training to be the Best!

**Chapter 04 – "Training to be the Best!"**

Kay Planer and her Tepig were soundly asleep in their bedroom, with the latter having curled up on top of its owner. A few Pokemon Battling magazines rested next to Kay's futon and on her desk were two CD cases labeled with dates. Suddenly, the alarm clock next to her head burst into loud ringing, quickly waking both Kay and Teppo up… at five in the morning!

Kay's hair was in a mess, her locks pointing at various directions. She was, of course, still wearing her pink pajamas with the little pictures of Jigglypuff. Teppo quickly hopped off of her as she reached out to turn her alarm clock off, and she breathed a sigh of relief when the noise stopped. "Alright…" Kay said. "Let's get ready."

The Tepig let out an agreeing cry.

Quickly she undressed, unbuttoning her pajamas before simply dropping them on the floor. Moving to her cupboard she picked out a simple white t-shirt that she slipped into. Soon she put on a pair of light blue jogging pants as well, and then wore a matching running jacket over her shirt. For a finishing touch, she tied her medium-length hair into a tight ponytail. Slowly she snuck out of her room, tiptoeing along the hallway so as to not accidentally wake up her father – of course, Teppo mimicked her.

Once near the entrance she stepped into a pair of jogging shoes and eventually unlocked the front door to step out into the still dark morning. It was still cold; she could actually see Teppo's and her own breath – though Teppo did let out a small ember from its nose to fight the temperature. It was also very quiet, with the only sound heard was the door closing behind them. Kay took in a deep breath, and then smiled down at her Pokemon.

"Shall we then, Teppo?"

The two decided to start off their chores early, which were preparing the hay for the Tauros and Miltank in the barn, and making sure they have plenty to drink. With many of them still asleep, they believe they can do the rest later. With a nod to each other once they close back the barn's doors, the two went straight into a jog, heading in the direction of the village.

As they do, Kay began to recall what had just transpired a day ago… right after she made one of the biggest decisions in her life.

* * *

"I've decided…" said Kay, her voice sounding tired. "I want to be a Pokemon Trainer…!"

The entire room fell into silence, but soon all eyes went to the only old man present: the one they call 'Leader'. He stood there, holding his walking stick in front of him sternly. Unlike the last time Kay met with him, he was wearing a dark green beanie cap – it hid his baldness, but the way it was pushed down against his thick eyebrows made his eyes look more intense. He didn't seem all too happy about seeing the girl back in his Pokemon Gym, but he did have to admit one thing:

'Those are nice eyes she's got there,' the old man thought, taking note of how focused and determined Kay's amber eyes looked. "So you've decided to return to the gym even after you ran off last time," he spoke up. "You say now that you wish to be a Pokemon Trainer, but you must understand that Pokemon Battling is a tough and demanding sport for both you and your Pokemon. How will I be sure that you won't run off again when things get tough?"

Inez and everyone else in the room knew why their Gym Leader needed to ask that, especially since Inez herself doubted that someone like Kay could ever survive in Pokemon Battling. Nonetheless her eyes are fixed on the girl, curious about how she would respond to this.

Kay, on the other hand, felt like she knew why he had to ask her that. She chose to run away like a coward because she was scared about what would happen to her or her Tepig. Not to mention she said all those things about herself to both Sodo and Inez that didn't really sit well with them. However, she sucked in her lip and tightened her fist.

"I… don't want to be called 'weak' anymore," said Kay. "And I don't want Teppo to be picked on. But…! That… doesn't mean we want to learn how to hurt others just to protect ourselves." That last sentence seemed to have caught the old man by surprise a little. "I just… want to learn what it means to be 'strong' so I can stand up for myself and everyone I care about. Teppo wanted to do that for me… but I was too scared to realize it… So please…!"

And Kay suddenly bowed her head, much to everyone's surprise.

"… please let me become a Pokemon Trainer!"

Inez stared off into Kay before her eyes drifted to their Gym Leader once more. The old man was quiet, but he seemed to be assessing what he was looking at here. After some time, he closed his eyes and scoffed at her.

"Hmph, I can't assure you that you will find your answer here," he said, slowly walking past her. However, before he reached the door, he stopped abruptly in his tracks. "… be here first thing tomorrow morning." Kay's eyes brightened up. "… and make sure you patch yourself up. Tessa, you know what you have to do."

Tessa flustered a bit. "A, Ah, yeah…"

Without looking back, the old man continued to walk past the door, sliding it close behind him. All eyes returned to Kay, who was finally able to catch her breath and let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't believe she just did and said all that; Sodo assured her, however, that she wasn't dreaming all this.

… by thumping her right in the head with a rough palm.

"Ow…!" Kay cried out, quickly moving her hands to the back of her head. "What was that for?"

"That's for running away the first time, you wuss!" Sodo exclaimed, baring his fangs at her. "Think you're so cool for coming back and saying all that?!" Nonetheless he withdrew both his hands to cross his arms over his chest, his frown turning into a toothy grin. "But good to see you coming back when most others wouldn't – that takes guts."

Kay flushed at that, and shyly rubbed her head; she smiled at the praise.

But Tessa soon came forward and punched Sodo in the shoulder. "What the heck are you doing hitting young girls for?" she groaned. "Are you –trying- to scare her away again?" The taller female moved to Kay's side, placing her hands on the girl by the shoulders. "Don't worry; Big Sis' got that knee covered. By the way, I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves. I'm 'Tessa', nice to meet you!"

"And I'm Parker," the blonde young man said, thumbing to himself. "I'm the charming one in this whole gym. If you need any help at all, don't be shy, little lady."

"Oh, put a sock in it, Parker."

"What was that?!"

But, Parker was easily pushed aside by one of Sodo's mighty hands. "And I am the great and super talented Sodo. Under my helpful guidance, you'll be a great Pokemon Trainer like me someday! Following either of these two would just ruin your future."

"What was that?!" Both Tessa and Parker barked.

"Oh, you wanna fight?! I'll take you both on!"

Kay sweatdropped, and then turned her attention towards Inez… or at least where Inez was standing. She quickly scanned around the room, only to find Inez already on her way out of the door. "I,Inez…!" Kay called out. "I… I'm really sorry for what I said last time…!"

Inez stopped near the door. She didn't say anything in return though, but she did move her head enough so that Kay could see her sporting a smile. A wave from her hand and eventually she disappeared outside the gym, closing the door slowly behind her.

"Heh, that Inez…" Parker chuckled. "Always not around for these sort of things."

"I'm sure she's just as happy about you coming back," Tessa said. "She may not say it, but she really was looking forward to you joining the gym. By the way, I don't think we even know what your name is."

"You're just asking about that now?" Kay asked, quickly whipping her head towards the three.

"I guess we never got the time to." Tessa shrugged.

"I'm… Kay Planer. And this is Teppo." She motioned her hand to her Tepig, who smiled and nodded to them. Kay followed this up with a polite bow. "Nice to meet you."

"'Kay', huh?" Tessa asked. "That's a pretty unusual name. And what kind of name is 'Teppo'?"

"Tep…?!" Teppo felt pretty hurt about that.

"Anyways, let's go get those bandages for you, Kay. If you want, you can even use our showers here to clean yourself right up."

"No, no, I can get cleaned up back at home.."

And with that, Kay and Teppo followed after Tessa, ending the flashback.

* * *

Back in the present, Kay and Teppo had just left their bus and were already on their way to the gym. Kay looked at her wristwatch, which showed that it was near six thirty in the morning. Finding it wasn't difficult, but it did feel a little awkward on how quiet and empty the city's streets were at this time. Finally reaching the Pokemon Gym, the two took deep breaths… and Kay slid the door open.

"Good morning…!" she greeted.

"Oh. Wow, you actually got here early." The first and only person in the room at that time was Tessa, but she was with a Pokemon – the Toxicroak that Kay saw with her and Parker not that long ago. "Good morning there, Kay!"

'That was hers?' Kay thought to herself. Honestly, she thought it was Parker's for some reason. "Um, Tessa, is that…?" She motioned to the Poison-type Pokemon.

"Oh, right, you haven't been properly introduced!" Tessa went to hug the Pokemon, pressing her cheek against it. "This is my cute little baby, Peaches!" Kay definitely didn't expect that name… "No one understands me more than her!"

'I can't even tell that it's female…' Kay again thought, especially looking at the Pokemon at its face. "Where're everyone else?" Kay asked, looking around the room.

"Oh, Parker's in the back for a bit. Sodo should be here soon."

Like a cue, the front door slid open, and in came none other than the man in question!

"I've decided…" he said, huffing and panting. "I want… to be a POKEMON TRAINER!"

"…eh." That was Kay and Tessa's reaction, at the same time.

"What was that!? A Pokemon Trainer, you say!?" And out came Parker from the back, quickly making his way towards the others. "What makes you think you could be a Pokemon Trainer?!" He overdramatically pointed at Sodo. "Especially after you ran away like that!"

"You must believe me, Old Man!" Sodo continued. "I ran all the way here and even hurt myself! Look at how messy I am!"

"OHHH! Surely then you must be determined!"

"So PLEASE…!" Sodo gave a bow to Parker. "Please make me into a Pokemon Trainer!" He extended his hands forward. "I want to learn how to become STRONG!"

Then there was a brief silence… before the two men burst into boisterous laughter. Poor Kay, on the other hand, had her whole face turned beet red from embarrassment knowing exactly who and what the two were making fun of.

"Oy, you're embarrassing her… Honestly, you two." Tessa groaned. "Just ignore them, Kay – those two are just idiots; they do all this nonsense all the time."

"I… I understand." Of course, this didn't stop Kay from feeling utter embarrassment, especially since the two men were still laughing their hearts out. She tried to ignore them by changing the subject, however. "So what am I supposed to be doing today? That old man from yesterday-… Uh… Oh, right; I don't think I ever asked for his name."

"Oh, you must be talking about Mr. Dempsey," Tessa pointed out. "He's our Gym Leader – yours too. Now."

"'Gym Leader'…?"

"That's what we call those guys who own Pokemon Gyms. Back during his younger days Gym Leaders were people Pokemon Trainers would challenge to get a Gym Badge. Of course, things don't work that way anymore. I heard that back then… Leader Dempsey was one of the tougher Gym Leaders people had to face."

"That was years ago."

A familiar voice soon spoke out, and Kay and the rest soon turned their sights to the front door, where the old man in question was now standing, joined by the man with glasses whose name Kay learned on the previous day was 'Charles', the Gym's Manager. Like yesterday the old man was wearing that dark green beanie cap and his usual stern expression. In his hands was his cane, held in front of him on the ground to support his weight.

"Things have long changed since then," he continued. "Biggest difference is that instead of Trainers working to face Gym Leaders, it's Gym Leaders training Trainers to battle against other Trainers. Nonetheless Pokemon Battling is still pretty much the same, but it's being taken more seriously than back then."

"I guess you could say the younger generation has it a lot easier because you don't have to travel so much," said Mr. Charles. "But at the same time, you're all expected to be facing much tougher opponents than the ones Leader Dempsey had to face at that time." Mr. Charles turned his attention back to Kay. "Knowing this, do you still wish to join our Pokemon Gym?"

Since Kay was still determined on it, she only needed a brief moment before giving her response: "Yes, sir."

"Your name is 'Kay Planer', yes?" Leader Dempsey asked. "Just joining our Pokemon Gym does not immediately make you a Pokemon Trainer. You must first pass the Pokemon Trainer Test in order to get your Trainer License. Only then will you be able to participate in official Pokemon Battling Tournaments. That is a story for another time, however; right now you simply need to focus on your Pokemon's training."

"Yes, sir…!" Kay said, straightening herself up.

"We'll start its training off with the basics. Charles?"

Mr. Charles nodded, before pocketing out a small map of the city, where some arrows had been drawn with red ink. "We want your Pokemon to run following this path, but you have to be back here in around half an hour."

Unbeknownst to Kay and Teppo, Sodo, Parker and Tessa were each surprised hearing that.

"All this in thirty minutes?" Kay asked, looking a little doubtful at the sight of the map.

"It's more than enough," said Leader Dempsey. "Of course, your Pokemon will not be running alone – YOU will be joining it." Kay looked a bit surprised at that. "The bond between a Pokemon and its Trainer is what matters the most in a Pokemon Battle. If you only let your Pokemon do all the work, then it will eventually start doubting your commitment for it – the same can be said the other way around."

Mr. Charles soon added his own take on it: "Another way of seeing it is to see if you can keep up with your own Pokemon."

Kay looked back at the map and then towards Teppo. It was just a short moment, but the two gave each other a nod before turning to face both Leader Dempsey and Manager Charles.

"We'll do it," said Kay.

"Then what are you two waiting for?" asked Leader Dempsey. "Get to it!"

"Y, Yes, sir…!"

Kay, motioning for Teppo to follow, quickly made their way past the front door. Kay now had the little map in hand, and one quick glance at it was enough for her to get the both of them started on their run. She was so focused on it… that she didn't even see Inez and her Combusken just returning to the Gym from making their own rounds.

"So she actually came...?" Inez muttered.

"She's a determined one, that girl." Inez quickly recognized the voice of Leader Dempsey and turned her head towards him. "She didn't complain whatsoever when I told her that she and her Tepig would be running around the city – most kids her age would probably think it's bothersome." Inez looked a bit surprised at that, to which Leader Demspey returned with a smile "That's a good trait to have during training. Hm, hmm… In fact, she reminds me of you a little when you first started off here."

Inez didn't say anything to that, but simply looked back at the direction Kay and Teppo ran off to.

* * *

Quite some time had passed since they left the Pokemon Gym, but the two of them went from running to fast-paced jogging once they reached halfway through their running path. However, Teppo was slightly ahead as it could move on all fours, but surprisingly neither of them looked anywhere close to exhausted.

"Go right after this, Teppo," Kay exclaimed. "There should be a straight road after that."

"Tep!" her Tepig cried out.

The whole thing pretty much went over the same way: Teppo would always be in front of her, and she would shout out the directions it was supposed to go. There were times Kay got tired, but she was determined not to let her Pokemon and friend out of her sights. She figured though that this was probably a warm-up exercise to prepare her for something more at the Pokemon Gym.

She told herself to keep focusing, to not be distracted by anything or anyone else but her Pokemon.

… that was, until she came across a someone else, who was apparently jogging the opposite direction. It was a boy probably around her age, but he was definitely taller than she was. He wore a running jacket, but he wasn't with any Pokemon – Kay assumed he was merely jogging for himself. She could make out that his hair was black, but not the color of his eyes. Why she was so focused on how he looked? Because he was pretty good-looking, that's why.

His eyes darted towards her for a moment, probably noticing her stare. Kay's cheeks rose a little in color when she responded by looking the other way. No words exchanged between the two and eventually the boy made a turn at a corner, disappearing from her sights. And just as she wondered if he was someone from her school…

"Tep!" Teppo cried out. "Tep…!"

"Huh? What's wrong, Tepp-…" … and the poor girl accidentally bumped her head into a lamp post, before slowly kneeling down to press her hands on her forehead. "Ow, ow, ow… That hurt." Her Tepig moved to her, obviously voicing out its worries. "It's okay, I'm fine… We should probably head back to-… Ah…!"

She looked at her wristwatch, and noticed that it was not long before her time would run out. "We're going to be late…!" Kay flustered. "Come on, Teppo; we need to get going…!"

The two quickly burst into a sprint, somewhat startling some of the people there getting ready to open up their stores.

* * *

The Gym Manager, , waited at the door while he looked between his right and his watch every now and then. It was almost half an hour since Kay and her Tepig left, and there were no signs of them yet. Just when he wondered if the two either got tired out on the way or got lost, though, he started to see two shadows from the distance.

A smile moved his lips; it was none other than Kay and Teppo. They were sprinting this time, with Teppo very far in the lead. Finally, the Fire-type Pokemon made it first, stopping to a skid. Finally, Kay reached Charles, and quickly fell to her hands and knees as she finally could stop running. She was obviously tired out, judging from her heavy breathing and sweat.

"Congratulations," said Charles, flashing a gentle smile to them both. "Looks like you made it just in time. So how are you two feeling?"

"T, Tired…" said Kay. "I don't think… I've ever ran that much… before…"

Her Tepig looked pretty tired out as well.

"That's part of the training," he added. "Do you think you both could have made it sooner though?"

Kay thought about it, and nodded weakly. "I…. think so. I was… kind of distracted earlier." She recalled that said 'distraction' was a boy, but she was too embarrassed to admit that part. "… and I guess… we shouldn't have slowed down just now."

"Ah, but then you two would be a lot more tired than you are now." That was when it hit her; Kay quickly realized her mistake. "Have you figured it out yet? This is one of Leader Dempsey's methods to get you a better understanding of how grueling Pokemon Battling can be. A Pokemon Trainer should not over-exhaust their Pokemon, but at the same time they can't allow their Pokemon to slow down too much or else risk wasting time. That goes the same for the Trainer – you need to be alert at all times."

"I….never thought of it like that before…."

"There's more to Pokemon Battling than just shouting out orders to your Pokemon, you see. But come on, let's get you two inside and get yourselves something to drink." Kay and Tepig nodded to each other before making their way back to the Gym. 'It surprised all of us too,' Charles thought to himself. 'That Leader Dempsey would give these two that sort of training on their first day… And that these two even managed to go through it within the time limit is just…'

Charles recalled the exact words from their Gym Leader when they asked him about it earlier, not long after Kay and Teppo started their run:

"Because I expect great things from those two.…!"

* * *

**FazzEagle:** And that's the fourth chapter, showing one of the importance aspects of their training. And even a little tease to Kay's romance life! I only kept it short for the latter because, I don't know, I wanted it to reflect on how much/little romance will be focused on in this story compared to its general theme: sport. Also, a thank you to one reader (not sure if he/she wanted to remain anonymous) who shared their take on whether or not I should start accepting OCs. I could probably give it a try just to test the waters so...

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Gender:**

**Pokemon (max. is 1 for now):**

**Personality:**

**Background:**

**Battle Style (optional):**

It doesn't have to be greatly detailed - just enough for me to work on would be fine. If you want, you can even suggest to me what roles you want them to be in. 'Battle Style' is optional, but if you're creating a Trainer who you want Kay to face, it would definitely help me out. A little warning on that though: since Kay IS the main character, there is a big chance that they will lose to her since I've already planned on her Win/Loss Record.

Hope that helps! And please leave a review!


	5. Time for Change!

**Chapter 05 – "Time for Change!"**

"Good to see that you've managed to run that far within the time limit," said Leader Dempsey. "Not many could do that on their first try."

"T, Thank you very much…!" said Kay, quickly straightening herself up.

Indeed it was surprising, thought Dempsey. He had great expectations from this girl and her Tepig and he knew he may have pushed them too fast by giving them something difficult to accomplish on their first day, but he only half-believed that they would actually make it back to the gym within thirty minutes - if anything, he just expected the two to go over the time but still show resiliency by finishing the run.

Still, they do look exhausted and he was thankful that Charles provided them with something to drink. Especially the girl: her hair was a mess.

"Mister Dempsey…?" Kay called out.

Apparently she had been waiting for his next instructions. "Hmph, you can just call me 'Leader' like everyone else does," he replied, scoffing a little. "We'll be working together from now on so there's no need to be so formal."

"Sorry…" Kay said, nodding and smiling softly.

The girl looked pretty depressing with her hair all tangled up over her face like that, Dempsey thought. Nevertheless he then turned his attention to Teppo, Kay's Tepig. "'Teppo', was it?" he asked Kay, though without looking at her. "Shouldn't you put your Pokemon back in its Pokeball so it could rest?"

"Huh…?" Kay blinked. "Pokeball?"

"Yes, you mustn't allow your Pokemon to further tire itself by having it walk around like that. It's a good habit to have after every Pokemon Battle." But he started noticing the girl fidgeting a little. "Hmmm, what's the matter? Does your Tepig dislike being in its Pokeball that much?"

"It's… not that," Kay said meekly, pressing two of her fingers together. "Rather… I don't really know if Teppo likes being in a Pokeball or not… to begin with."

"Hmph, then perhaps you should give it a try. In every Pokemon Battle, a Pokemon must be kept in their respective Pokeballs."

"No, the thing is…." There was a moment of silence, but then Kay flashed a weak, little smile to say, "…. Teppo doesn't have a Pokeball."

"…. what…?"

"I've…. never put Teppo in a Pokeball; he never had one." And Kay, feeling awkward, let out an equally awkward laugh.

Everyone else in the room, however, slowly looked the other way from Dempsey, knowing full well what was going to happen. In fact, people walking around outside the gym eventually heard what happened after.

"**How could your Pokemon not have its own Pokeball**!?" Dempsey scolded, his voice echoing throughout the whole gym. "How do you expect to be a proper Pokemon Trainer like that!"

"I, I'm sorry…!"

"**Get out of here and don't come back until you get a Pokeball**!"

"Y, Yes, sir…!"

"**And fix your hair! It's all over the place**!"

"M, My hair…?"

* * *

"Haaa-ha…! That was rich!" Parker laughed. "You should have seen the look on the Leader's face when ya told 'em that!"

In the end, both Parker and Tessa were sent to accompany Kay and Teppo to find a Pokeball. Teppo, however, was being carried by Kay for the time being, having been told to do so by an irate Dempsey. Parker was sent to go, and Tessa volunteered to join to make sure Parker 'doesn't do anything stupid'. The two were back out into the city, heading for the nearest Pokeball Store.

"Don't take it to heart, Kay," Tessa assured, placing her hand on Kay's head. "Leader got angry for a good reason. If a Pokemon never got a Pokeball, anyone could just take it and claim it as theirs." Kay started to look worried. "I, I'm not saying that's going to happen! Just need to be safe than sorry, you know!"

"Yeah, Pokemon Battling can be tough," Parker added. "Heck, a lot of people are willing to do whatever it takes just to secure their victory."

"I guess I never really gave it much thought," said Kay. "Teppo normally just stays back at home while I go to school."

"Ah, that would explain it," said Tessa. "Though a lot of kids these days bring their Pokemon to school with them. Anyways it's not my business. Have you ever been to a Pokeball Store, Kay?"

"I've passed by it many times," Kay admitted. "But when I have a little free time, I do sometimes go in just to see what's around. It's not like I have to buy them though... so I was alright with just looking and reading about them."

'Is that what kids these days do….?' Parker and Tessa thought… in surprising unison, unbeknownst to an oblivious smiling Kay.

"Well, looks like you're finally going to get one!" Tessa said with a grin. "I wonder if we should pick a Pokeball with a design? Perhaps maybe something with fire? How about Model? I guess Model Two would be pretty convenient."

"What?" Parker asked. "Two? Model One is better! It's cheaper and you can always feel it around in your hands."

"They're too big, you cheapskate…!"

"Says you!"

'What the heck are they talking about…?' was all Kay could think of as the two started arguing over Pokeballs.

* * *

"Welcome! Please feel free to browse around!"

The store attendant greeted the three as the doors automatically slid open, and they were the first customers of the day! A lot of Pokeballs were on display: some were placed on pedestal stands - each with their own support – and the rest were either kept inside the display case or behind the glass of the counter. On the walls were stickers and accessories made specifically for Pokeballs.

"Well, go ahead and pick out the Pokeball you want," said Tessa, her eyes momentarily drifting towards the accessories. "I'll be looking at the stuff over here." And Tessa happily walked away, leaving Parker with Kay.

"I wonder if that's her reason for coming along…?" Parker wondered, letting out a sigh. "Anyways, Kay, if you need any help, just ask. I take it you've never bought a Pokeball before? Not that hard; it's like picking out a cell phone."

"I don't have a cell phone," said Kay with a weak chuckle. "So I'm not sure what to make of that."

"Wha-…. seriously…?" Parker was actually surprised at that. "Well… I guess it all comes down to how much you're willing to spend then. Hmmm…." He looked around, and soon pointed to a red and blue-colored Pokeball behind the display case. "How about that one? It's Model One though."

"What exactly do you mean by 'Models' anyway…?"

"… seriously, kid – are you for real…?" said Parker, which got Kay to feel a little embarrassed. "It's just the size is all. Model One is your standard-sized Pokeball, while Model Two is smaller. Model Three is the smallest they could get, but they're damn expensive."

Kay started to recall the kind of Pokeball that Terry used for her Furfrou. 'So the one she used must have been a Model Two…' thought Kay, her eyes drifting over to the only Model Two Pokeball within the case. Then she recalled the one Inez used: 'The one Inez used was bigger I think…' "Um, Parker?" Kay called. "About the Pokeball that Inez uses…"

"Ha…? Inez's…?" Then a grin found its way to his face and he started playfully poking the short girl on the cheek. "What's this? Are you trying to copy Inez or something?"

"T, That's not it…" Kay said, coyly looking the other way. "I'm just curious..."

Parker let out a chuckle. "Well, the one she uses is actually a Model One. It's bigger but cheaper than the rest of the Models. Also, it's a little heavier than the others. Though you'd think someone like her would use at least Model Two or something…"

"Then I'll take that one!" said Kay. "I…. really don't think I can afford a more expensive Pokeball at the moment anyway."

"Oh, that's good!" said Parker, slapping his hands onto her shoulders. "That's right, we shouldn't go waste too much money on Pokeballs – as long as it works, it's fine, right?!" He soon withdrew his hands and motioned her to look into the display case. "Well, go ahead and pick out the color you want then."

"Alright… Hmm…."

She started to look between the different Model One Pokeballs, but some of them – while still among the cheapest in the store – were still out of her money's reach. In the end, she was left with just a handful of choices but it only took her a brief moment to decide on which one she wanted: she picked the red and white-colored Pokeball. "… I think I'll go with that one. What do you think, Teppo?"

"Tep…" The Pokemon in her arms felt a bit indecisive.

"Huh…" Parker rubbed the back of his head. "I guess you got a thing for the classics. Yo, can we get some help around here?"

Parker called for the store attendant, as Kay and Teppo stared at the Pokeball.

An attendant came to unlock the display case; after confirming the Pokeball, the attendant actually made one attempt to persuade Kay into buying something more costly. Kay was almost reeled in, but it was Parker that disappointed the attendant by saying 'no'. In fact, Tessa herself tried to persuade Kay into buying accessories for her Pokeball! To which Parker once again stepped forward to give a loud, definite 'no'.

"That will be 200 Pokedollars, please," the store attendant behind the counter said.

It took Kay a while to decide whether or not she should actually fork out the money, but then she thought it was for the best. Gently putting Tepig down for a moment, she reached for her pocket, which had the 500 Pokedollars – the same ones she offered to Sodo not too long ago – and eventually handed them over to the attendant.

"Alright, could you also fill in this form, please?" the store attendant added, pushing a piece of paper towards Kay. "We just need your name, gender, date of birth, address, phone number, identification number and your signature. I can tell this is your first time buying a Pokeball?" She smiled to Kay as she asked this. "Would you like me to explain how Pokeball works?"

"Y, Yes, please," Kay replied, nodding softly.

The store attendant nodded in return. "Once you've filled up the form, we will register it in our computer's database. This is important so we can identify you during Transfers and other things involving your Pokeball. Also, you need to press the button here…" She motioned a finger to the sole button on a Pokeball. "… on a Pokemon that you want to put inside, or 'Catch' as we'd like to call it. To call out your Pokemon again, you just have to press the same button and put the Pokeball somewhere where it can freely open."

"Like in a Pokemon Battle Ring…!"

The store attendant blinked. "Eh? You're a Pokemon Trainer? Wow, that's amazing!"

"She's not a Pokemon Trainer," Parker pointed out. "She doesn't even have her license yet."

"Ohhh. Well, either way, allow me to wish you luck. If you have any issues with the Pokeball, we have a three-month warranty deal. And if you ever get popular, make sure to give me an autograph, okay?" That got Kay to let out a weak laugh. "Now, may I have the form back?" Kay nodded and gently handed over the form she just finished filling. "Alright, this will just take a few minutes." Just like that, the attendant turned her attention away from the three and to the PC on the counter.

Kay then picked Teppo back up in her arms. "So is that it…?" she asked Parker and Tessa.

"Yep!" Tessa grinned. "Congratulations, Kay. How does it feel?"

"I'm… not really sure," said Kay. "To put Teppo in something that small…"

"That's right!" said Parker. "To trap your precious Pokemon in a Pokeball~! Never again walk alongside your!"

"Surrounded by darkness~," Tessa added. "Feeling alone every time~…!"

A look of worry washed over Kay's face…

* * *

"…."

Once everything was done, Kay finally got her very first Pokeball! However, now there was an unexpected predicament: outside the store, Kay stood face-to-face with her Tepig, with the former holding onto their new Pokeball. Both looked pretty anxious about this as Kay tried to prepare herself to finally put her Pokemon in its Pokeball… but they had been standing there doing absolutely nothing for five whole minutes.

"Oy…" Parker muttered. "… she knows we were kidding about all that stuff we said, right…?"

"… I honestly didn't think she'd take all that seriously," Tessa admitted, starting to feel very guilty. "Um… Kay…? Isn't it about time you put Teppo in the Pokeball now…?"

"I know, but… what if Teppo gets lonely in there?" Kay asked, still looking at her Pokemon.

"You just have to put it in there for TWO seconds and then you can bring it back out!" Parker added, visibly annoyed. "It's not that big a deal!"

Kay groaned but then held the Pokeball closer to her Tepig. "Alright, Teppo… This may be a bit sudden, but I'd like you to go into this Pokeball, alright?" However, she could see that Teppo was just as unsure as she was. "I, It's alright! You don't have to stay inside all the time if you don't want to, but Leader said this is important for Pokemon Battling."

"Tepig…" Teppo looked worried for a moment, but then it nodded with confidence! "Tep…!"

"That's good…! Now all you have to do is press the button on this Pokeball here." She pointed at said button. "You can take your time, Teppo, and press it when you're ready."

The Tepig closed in on the ball, but when it was an inch away from pressing itself on it, it stepped back, looking unsure once more. Then it would approach, only to fall back again. Then it would step forward… only to move away at the last minute again! This, unfortunately, continued two more times… much to Parker and Tessa's chagrin.

"… maybe today is not the best time," said Kay. "… maybe we should try this again tomorrow then…?"

"To heck with that!" cried out Parker.

But that little outburst startled Kay, causing her to accidentally drop the Pokeball… right onto Teppo! The ball landed right on its snout, pushing the button against it. Then the Pokeball snapped open, and some mechanism inside shot a narrow red beam right at the Pokemon, who was soon completely enveloped by light of similar color. Kay's eyes widened as her Tepig literally got sucked into the open Pokeball, which then shut close in an instant before rolling slowly on the floor.

"…..!" Kay, Parker and Tessa did not see that coming!

"What's the big idea?!" Tessa shrieked, grabbing Parker by his shirt collar. "This is your fault…!"

"How was this MY fault!?" flustered Parker.

Kay, on the other hand, was more worried about her Pokemon. "Teppo? Teppo, are you alright in there?"

And people passing by could not help but stare at the strange scene.

* * *

Kay let out a sigh. That happened all too fast that she was worried Teppo got hurt or something, but now the Pokemon was back walking alongside her, no longer tired out from their morning run. The Pokeball was safely in Kay's hands too, but she still could not believe she actually bought one. With Tessa and Parker beside her, they were now on their way back to the Pokemon Gym.

"It's barely afternoon and I'm already feeling exhausted…" sighed Tessa. "But at least we got your very first Pokeball, right?"

Kay gave a meek nod, smiling a little feeling like she just achieved something great.

"Now…" Tessa's eyes shifted towards the top of Kay's head, taking note of her style and ponytail. "… are you actually going to do something about your hair?"

"My… hair…?" Kay raised a hand to her head, pushing her hair downwards. "I thought I fixed it before we left earlier."

"That's not the point." Tessa chuckled. "I mean, don't you remember what Leader said? Your hair was all over the place. Plus… I mean, I don't want to sound rude here but your hair kind of makes you look…" Tessa tried to think of the best word to describe it. "… melancholic…?"

"M, Melancholic…?"

"I don't know; it's just how your hair is always drooping down like that. Sometimes I even worry if even the smallest thing would make you cry."

"No way…" Kay lowered her head out of embarrassment. "I didn't realize I looked that way. But my dad always says my hair looks good…"

"He's your DAD," Parker pointed out. "Of course he says it looks good on you."

"…!" Kay felt like an arrow just shot right through her chest.

"Ah…" Tessa looked at her cell phone at that moment. "Huh, looks like Leader is going to be out for the rest of the day. Hmm… says here he wants me to tell Kay that she should come back tomorrow once she has everything sorted out. Heh, Charlie always like to put emoticons in his messages."

"W, Wait…! What about our training?"

"Maybe that's why he asked you to come early today; if it wasn't for us needing to be out here, he could have probably taught you a couple of things by now." Kay felt like another arrow just pierced through her chest. "D-Don't worry about it! These things tend to happen so I'm sure he understands. Sides, he is a Gym Leader and all so he does tend to be busy every now and then."

"From the sound of it…" Parker said, stealing a peek at Tessa's phone before it was hid away from him. "… looks like he wants you to rest up for the day. Trust me: you'll have plenty of time to get some training from him. Maybe then you'll probably wish you didn't!" He let out a laugh… but got an elbow right to the stomach from Tessa for it. "Ooof! I, I was kidding…!"

"Well," continued Tessa, frowning at Parker for a moment. "I guess you just have to prepare for tomorrow then. Sorry about this, Kay; we know how you're really looking forward to this."

Kay shook her head. "No, no… It's alright." She flashed a little smile. "Teppo and I will definitely come back tomorrow!"

"It makes me a bit jealous seeing how eager you are about all this," chuckled Tessa. "Well, do you want to come back to the Pokemon Gym with us?"

Kay gave it some thought. "… actually… I think there's something I need to do; I think I need to really prepare myself for tomorrow."

"Is that so… Well, you're always welcome to visit the Gym whenever you want. We'll see you next time then, Kay! It's been really fun."

Kay softly nodded and smiled at the other two.

"I think I'll go get something to drink since Leader is away," said Tessa, stretching her arms upwards. "Cover for me for the meantime, Parker."

"Whaaaat? Why do I have to cover for you…?"

With that, Tessa and Parker waved to Kay before leaving her and Teppo behind. Once they were finally out of sight, a sigh escaped Kay's lips and her eyes fell back to the Pokeball in her hands, and then back down to her Tepig.

"I guess…" she muttered. "Since you managed to get inside your Pokeball…. Then I guess I should be willing to do something new too!" This got Teppo beaming. "Come on, Teppo! Let's get back to the village!"

"Tep!" The Pokemon bounced with glee and soon followed its owner as they head towards the nearest bus stop.

Not known to them, however, was that Terry, Vicky and Nicky happened to have been there at that time, hiding behind a corner.

"Huh... Wasn't that Plainer…?" Vicky asked. "Odd seeing her around here on a Saturday."

"I wonder who those two she was talking to earlier?" Nicky wondered.

Terry narrowed her eyes, but then shrugged. "Not my business; she was probably lost or something so she had to stop and ask for directions."

"Yeah, totally!" laughed Vicky. "Come on, let's go karaoke already! I wanna sing~!"

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Planer Farm, Kay's father was cutting the grass on the field while a Miltank was grazing nearby. He didn't know what his daughter was up to at that moment, but he knew she told him that it had something to do with Pokemon Battling and a Pokemon Gym. He couldn't help but wonder just what kind of people was she meeting in a place like that though, and he hoped she was at least enjoying her time there.

"The grass sure are long recently…" sighed Kay's father. "At least I've cut a lot of them short now. Phew…"

"I…. I'm back."

He would recognize that voice anywhere. A smile quickly found its way to him as he slowly stood back up from kneeling on the grass. "Welcome back," he greeted, hiding any fatigue from his voice. "How did it g-….!" But then his words got cut off, by an unexpected surprise. There was something VERY different about his daughter. "Your… hair…?"

Kay nodded. "Y, Yes, I… decided to have it cut." Judging from her voice, he could tell she was being very shy about this. "… does it look bad…?"

In his honest opinion: it didn't look that bad at all – though he was not sure what to really think about it yet. It was just that… he was so used to seeing her with her usual hairstyle that this… 'change' came off as a pretty big surprise. Though he could not help but worry…

"No, no…! It looks pretty good…! It's cute."

… just what in the world was going on at that Pokemon Gym?

* * *

**FazzEagle**: And that was Chapter Five! In this Chapter, I wanted to show how purchasing Pokeballs work in this story. To make a long story short: it's like purchasing a cell phone. And there are three different 'types/models' of Pokeballs, with Model One being the ordinary-sized ball while Two and Three are smaller variants (again, think cell phones). And also in this Chapter, I wanted to show that a person can own a Pokemon in different ways: like how you can claim to own a cat that strayed into your house despite not having any collar or whatever else that says it's under your ownership, or the opposite of that where a Pokeball acts like said 'collar' or 'proof of ownership'.

I'm not sure if I need to tell you all why doing this is important for Pokemon Battling since it should be obvious, but you'll definitely read about it in later chapters.

As for other matters, other people's OCs (Original Characters) may not be appearing yet UNTIL at least Kay obtains her Trainer License and can participate in Pokemon Battling Tournaments so I hope you all bear with me for the time being.

Next chapter: Kay debuts a new look! And she takes one more step to becoming an official Pokemon Trainer!


	6. Set a Goal!

**Chapter 06 – "Set a Goal!"**

She pulled up her light blue jacket's zipper, stopping around a quarter away from the top stop and revealing a bit of the white t-shirt underneath. Unlike the day before, her pants did not match her jacket, instead opting for black – the other one of the only pairs she owned. Finally, she looked down on the kerchief in her hands (the same one she wore in Chapter 1), contemplating over it before slowly and carefully wrapping it over her head and hair, tying the tips into a knot underneath the back of her head. Kay took a good look at herself in the mirror: she no longer had her long hair let alone her ponytail. This time it was short, but still long enough to go past her ears. Her fringe also did not cascade over her face anymore, giving a clearer view of it than usual.

Of course, since this was the first time she had her hair this short she was a little nervous whether or not it looked good on her – she kept trying to adjust her hair almost every five seconds. Eventually she straightened herself, giving her own reflection an affirmative nod, and then turned her attention downwards, towards her faithful Tepig, Teppo.

"Sorry to make you wait," she said with a smile. "Shall we go?"

"Tep…!" the little Pokemon jumped excitably. "Tepig…!"

It was time to return to the Pokemon Gym!

* * *

As usual, she had to take the bus to return back to the city, and Teppo chose to stay out of its Pokeball throughout the whole trip. She got to the Gym early; unfortunately when she got there, she was too nervous to just casually enter! What if they – as in Sodo, Tessa and Parker - think her new hair was funny, she thought to herself. What about Inez? What would she say about it? She peeked through the window – there were definitely people in there.

"I'm feeling a little nervous…" she muttered, smiling weakly to Teppo. "… and I didn't exactly come back in time for Mister Dempsey to teach me anything. I hope he isn't too angry about it…"

Speaking of Dempsey, though, he wasn't exactly very far from her. Like most days Charles was tagging along with him, normally talking about Pokemon Battling-related topics. This time, however, it was concerning two particular girls.

"Inez's Combusken is progressing really well in its training," said Charles. "At this rate, there's no doubt Inez will pass her Pokemon Trainer License Test."

"Hmm," nodded Leader Dempsey. "I am looking forward to it; it's only a matter of time before she starts competing in official Pokemon Battles. Then, of course, there's that other girl."

"Ah, Kay Planner? Yes, I'm starting to be interested in what she and her Pokemon are capable of too. She's pretty dedicated and determined – I almost can't believe she's around my daughter's age. I do hope she will be coming toda-… oh, is that…?." Charles and Dempsey came to a stop as soon as they spot Kay and Teppo in front of the Gym, with Charles quickly noting her change in hairstyle. "That's her alright; looks like she cut her hair too."

"Why is she walking around in front of the door like that?"

The two men watched as Kay continued to pace back and forth in front of the door. They watched her take deep breaths, approaching and backing away from the door over and over again, and muttering things to herself. After watching her repeat the exact same thing for two whole minutes, however: Leader Dempsey had enough.

"What the heck are you doing over there?!" he shouted. "It's irritating…!"

"L, Leader Dempsey…?!" stuttered Kay. "G, Good morning…!"

"Don't you 'good morning' me! Just get inside the Gym!"

"Y-Yes, sir…!" That definitely did not go as planned. Pressured by the Leader's stern voice, the girl quickly and finally opened the door, only entering after greeting the entire gym with another "Good morning".

Her sudden entry, however, surprised several of the people inside.

"Oh, good morning, Kay!" Tessa greeted back. "What's- Oh, wow…!" Tessa quickly noticed Kay's new hair, which actually reminded the latter that it was why she was so nervous to enter to begin with. With an approving smile and nod, Tessa approached the younger girl, looking her over. "This style's not bad for you! It's pretty cute."

"Really…?" Kay smiled, but blushed at the same time. "Thanks... It's my first time cutting it this short."

"Not bad, not bad!" said Parker, stepping up next to Tessa. "So you've finally gave in to what Leader said, huh?" Parker learned that he said that too soon, as Leader Dempsey and Charles just walked into the gym at that very moment. "Oh, uh…. Morning, Leader!"

"Morning, Leader," greeted Tessa as well, followed by everyone else in the room. "Hey, Charles!"

Leader Dempsey nodded to Tessa in greeting, but wasted no time to shift his attention back to Kay. "When I told you to fix your hair, I didn't mean for you to cut it shorter. Perhaps I should have been a little clearer…"

Kay's eyes blinked a few times hearing that; it almost sounded like he was feeling guilt over it. However, Kay wanted him to feel otherwise; she shook her head, and with a smile she said, "No, I… decided to do this on my own." She lowered her head a bit as people turned their eyes to her. "Teppo went inside a Pokeball for the first time in his life, so I didn't think it was fair that only he had to go through something he wasn't used to." She raised her hand to her head, fingers fiddling with her fringe. "… and I wanted to change from the person I used to be. Since I'm now walking down a new path in my life, I believe… that I should be willing to be a new me as well!"

Her words brought both genuine and awkward smiles from those listening – even Leader Dempsey couldn't help it.

"Heh, I can't believe I'm the one feeling embarrassed instead…" chuckled Parker, idly scratching his cheek with a finger.

"That was nicely said," commented Tessa, clasping her hands together. "Let's work together from now on, alright?"

To the reactions, Kay beamed.

Unfortunately…

"**GYAAAAHAHAHAHA!"** That loud, annoying, and boisterous laugh could only come from one particular person in the Gym. And that was Sodo, who was now pointing his finger right at Kay while crouching a little next to her. "'Walking down a new path'? Who do you think you are, a protagonist from some cheesy drama?! And 'changing from the person you used to be'? YOU LOOK MORE LIKE A SCHOOLGIRL WHO JUST GOT DUMPED! **GYAAAAHAHAHAHA!**"

Kay's entire face turned crimson from embarrassment, and she even froze right on the spot.

"YOU DAMN IDIOT!" shouted Leader Dempsey, wasting absolutely no time to wallop Sodo right in the head with his wooden cane. "**YOU NEED TO LEARN WHEN TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!**"

"WHAT THE HELL, OLD MAN!? THAT HURT!"

And Sodo quickly retreated, running away and disappearing into the back room. The whole turn of events got almost everyone – except Kay and Dempsey – laughing at his expense, with their Gym Leader hot in his trail.

"Sorry, Kay…" said Tessa, sighing and patting the girl on the shoulder. "Especially when you mustered up the courage to say all that."

"Why did he have to ruin it…" Kay muttered, facing away from everyone out of shame.

At that time, however, someone familiar just arrived at the Gym from the front door: Inez! Much like Kay, she was wearing her own track suit, but hers was far darker in color that contrasted with her beautiful blonde hair – though it did suit her and showed off her lean, fit form. As usual though, she wore that stoic expression on herself. "What's with all the noise so early in the morning?" she asked, looking around the room. "On a Sunday, even…"

"I, Inez…!" Just seeing and hearing her raised Kay's spirits back up, and she turned right away to face her. "G, Good morning!" Inez did turn to look at her - though the lack of a returned greeting made Kay anxious. "Um… I just got my very first Pokeball yesterday too so…" Shyly, Kay pocketed out said Pokeball from one her jacket's pockets, flashing it to her. "… I'm ready to take my first step forward on becoming a Pokemon Trainer…!" Again, there was just silent staring, and Kay was starting to feel comically agistated. "I, It's a Model One…! It was the cheapest in the store…"

"…. who the heck ARE you…?"

"…..!"

Kay gasped; it felt like something as powerful as a thunderbolt just stabbed her right in the chest! First it was Sodo, and now even Inez! The latter, however, was enough to cause Kay to drop to her knees, looking completely whited out from the shock.

"Inez…!" Tessa burst out. "How could you?"

Inez only sweatdropped at the sight of the emotionally-drained Kay. "I was only kidding…"

* * *

Some time had passed and everyone was now going back to their training and daily routines. Leader Dempsey and Charles left for upstairs to get ready for Kay's training while Tessa and Parker were off working out with their Pokemon on their own. Sodo was nowhere to be seen, but that was probably for the best for now. Kay was with Inez at a bench, with the latter taking out stuff from her bag. Teppo was sitting idly by Kay's feet.

"That was cruel of you, Inez…" said Kay, her face completely in red from shame. "I really thought you didn't recognize me."

"Sorry already," groaned Inez, looking slightly irritated. "It's just a haircut; of course I'd still recognize you."

"Really?"

"But more on important things: looks like Leader is going to be training you two today," said Inez. "Good luck on that."

"Eh? You mean we're not going to be training together…?"

"Of course not. You're just starting off so my kind of training is different from yours. You still have a lot to learn, I heard."

Kay was actually really hoping that they would be training together, but she didn't want to risk slowing Inez down.

"I have someone else coaching me and Blaze today," Inez added. "I'm going to go run my rounds now." She dropped the Pokeball in her hand to let it hit the floor below, and as soon as it made contact the ball quickly snapped open, letting out her Combusken in a burst of light. "Let's go, Blaze."

"Combusken…!" The firebird Pokemon cried out.

And without even saying goodbye to either Kay or Teppo, Inez and her Combusken made their way out of the gym, and Kay could see them through the window as they started to jog away. She sighed quietly in disappointment.

"What are you sighing around for?" asked a familiar voice. Kay turned her head, only to see Leader Dempsey now standing near her. He came here wearing a coat and tie, but now he was wearing a hooded jacket. His clothes normally hid the shape of his body, but right now she could see that he was still in fit shape despite his age. "Don't tell me you're still upset over what happened earlier."

"N, No, sir…!" Kay quickly stood straight back up. "I'm ready for my training!"

"Hmph," he scoffed – though he couldn't help but smile a little for a split second. "We're going to be doing a lot today since we missed out the whole of yesterday. Let's go, you two." Of course, he meant both Kay and her Tepig. "Don't just stand there!"

"Y, Yes…!"

The two of them followed after the old man, not realizing that Parker and Tessa were watching with curiosity from afar. Once Kay and Teppo made it outside, they came across an unusual sight: Leader Dempsey riding a scooter.

"Alright, you two; this is what you'll be doing: just like yesterday you two will be running around the city, but this time I want you to pace yourselves. What you two must do is fairly simple." He patted the back of his scooter. "Just make sure to keep up with me."

"Is… that really all we'll be doing…?" asked Kay, blinking.

"You of all people should know by now that running around the city is very draining, or did you forget about yesterday?" That shrunk Kay down a size. "Alright, let's not waste any more time then." Leader Dempsey gripped on the scooter's handles, and soon twisted one of them to get the scooter going at a gentle pace. "Stay focus!"

Kay and Teppo nodded to each other before jogging after him. The scooter was going a little faster than Kay thought, but it wasn't something she and her Pokemon couldn't catch up to. Neither of them tried to talk to each other – Kay didn't think Leader Dempsey would like otherwise anyway. After some time, the scooter sped up a little, which had Kay and Teppo quicken their pace. But they caught up with him without much problem.

'These two appear to be used to running,' thought Dempsey. 'That's good.'

The scooter slowed down after some time, making the two tailing it to slow down as well. This repeated for a while, but just when Kay started to think that she and Teppo could get used to this sort of training…

BRROOOOOOOOMM….!

The scooter suddenly took off at a startling speed! And within seconds, it was very far from either of their reach!

"Oh, no…!" Kay cried out. "Come on, Teppo…!"

"T, Tep…!" Her Pokemon shared her hesitance.

The two fastened their feet. Teppo was able to narrow down its distance from Leader Dempsey, but Kay was slightly behind the two. She breathed in and out of her mouth and nose the longer she sprinted, and she could feel her chest tightened by every second she tried to keep up with Teppo. After about two long minutes the scooter finally came to slow down, but Kay and even Teppo looked pretty tired out – especially the former.

"You two look pretty out of breath!" shouted Leader Dempsey through the sounds of the motor running. "When you run, don't breathe with your mouth – breath only through your nose!" Kay and Teppo wondered why he never told them to do so in the first place… "Pokemon Battling can go on for a while! You and your Tepig have a lot of stamina, but you need to teach your Pokemon how to conserve its energy!"

"Y-Yes…!" Kay cried out.

"You also need to learn the signs of when your Pokemon gets tired!" he continued. "That alone can sometimes turn the tables in a Pokemon Battle!"

"Y-Yes….!" cried Kay once more.

"Becoming a Pokemon Trainer is more than just knowing how to win, kid! It's also about coming to fully understand your Pokemon inside AND out! You share a close bond with your Tepig… but trust me when I say that you've only touched the surface of what it's capable of!"

That caught Kay a little by surprise. Though she never cared to mention it to anyone, but she genuinely believed that she and her Tepig were as close as a human and a Pokemon could get – her father and many of the people from the villager seemed to think so too. This was actually the first time someone told her otherwise.

Dempsey saw that surprised look on Kay's face from the rear-view mirror. Then the scooter started to speed up again!

"Tell me, Kid!" Dempsey shouted out. "Do you wish to understand your Pokemon even more?!"

Though Kay couldn't see it, Teppo was actually listening attentively.

That question baffled Kay more than she thought it would. What did he mean by that? She thought she knew everything about her Tepig – from what its preferences were and even to its emotions. Was it just to know when to watch out for when it gets tired? It couldn't be. For the first time since a very long time, the Pokemon running in front of her was a mystery – a stranger. It hurt her; it hurt her that it was possible that she didn't know everything about it like she thought she did. And she owed almost everything to her Tepig for getting her where she was now.

"Yes…!" Kay finally shouted out. "Please teach me everything…!"

Teppo cracked a little smile at that.

"That's good to hear," said Leader Dempsey. "Then continue chasing after it, Kid! Continue chasing after your Pokemon!"

"Yes….!"

The scooter finally slowed down again, but Kay was still pretty tired out from shouting that much. Strangely though: she felt like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders.

"So what do you intend to do first to understand your Pokemon?" Leader Dempsey asked, again taking Kay by surprise with a question.

Kay thought over it; she didn't want to trouble her Gym Leader into spoon-feeding everything that was to know about her Tepig. No, she knew she must try to learn all of that on her own. At that thought, only one thing came to mind:

"… I want to battle with Inez again."

"Hmm?" This time it was Leader Dempsey that was taken by surprise. "Because you lost against her the first time?"

"No... because back then during the spar… it was Teppo who was eager to battle with her Combusken. I… didn't know why; Teppo was never the type to fight. But there must have been something about that Pokemon Battle that made him behave that way."

"…." Leader Dempsey stared silently to his side and then at his rear-view mirror for a bit. "… back then Inez and her Combusken were greatly holding back. I doubt those two would commit the same mistake."

"I know that, and I may be selfish here…" said Kay. "… but if I don't try, then I'll never understand Teppo. But I don't plan on having him battle Blaze with the intention to definitely lose. So if possible… please! Please teach us how to properly battle Inez and Blaze!"

"…." Dempsey soon stopped the scooter, and brought the whole sprint to an abrupt halt. "A Pokemon Trainer will always be the one deciding if their Pokemon will do battle or otherwise – that in itself can prove to be a tough decision. You chose to understand your Pokemon better through Pokemon Battling, even while knowing that the odds may be against both of you. Whether or not it is the right decision, it will be all up to you and how you work alongside your Pokemon. "

Kay and Teppo shared a look at each other, and then a nod in unison.

"As for your challenge against Inez…" Leader Dempsey turned to look to the side, looking up on the road on top of a grassy slope. "… why not ask her yourself?"

Kay whipped her head to the side, and to her shock Inez and her Combusken were there, standing not far from them! Judging by Inez's expression, Kay could tell that she heard everything – it was both embarrassing AND nerve-wrecking.

"Inez…" murmured Kay, staring directly at the blonde girl. Nonetheless Kay braced herself, tightening her fist and lips. "I want to—" … but the cold stare Inez was giving her froze her right on the spot. Instead of announcing her challenge, the girl bowed politely and greeted with an awkward "I, I'm sorry, Inez…! Please forgive me!"

That literally caused Leader Dempsey to fall over his scooter.

"You're definitely a strange one…" he groaned.

Inez, however, simply continued to stare Kay down. After a few seconds of silence, Inez finally spoke up: "… I accept your challenge, Planer."

Kay's eyes quickly widened, but she was at a loss for words.

Leader Dempsey grinned. "Then the rematch will take place in three months. Until then… I expect you two to be training your Pokemon properly!"

Like a cue, however, Tepig's entire body started to glow after making an intense eye contact with Inez's Combusken! All eyes turned to it and watched as its body started to change shape: rounder, bigger. Then it slowly rose to stand up on its legs instead of being on all fours. To everyone and Kay's surprise: Teppo had evolved into Pignite!

"T, Teppo…?" muttered Kay.

"Nite…!" cried out the Pokemon.

But Leader Dempsey could only smirk as Kay and her newly evolved Pokemon returned their attention to Inez and her Combusken, who appeared to be unaffected by the turn of events. 'Looks like things just got even more interesting…' thought Leader Dempsey. 'I honestly cannot wait…

… to witness the Pokemon Battle between these two future Trainers!'

* * *

**Fazzeagle: **Things are about to heat up! And I mean literally! Two Fighting/Fire-Types are about to get their rematch, promising a better battle than the last. How will Kay and Teppo try to overcome Inez and Blade this time around? Well, continue tor read the future chapters to find out. Also, both Kay and Teppo debuted their new looks in this chapter - I just hope Kay's description was clear enough for a proper mental imagery. At the moment I'm planning to draw up a sketch of her and the other characters, but I can't promise when I'd be done with those. Sodo was up to his usual jerky self - I want to make him that guy you should hate but can't because of what a loveable jerk he is.

As always, leave a review to tell me what you think of the story!


	7. Battle Style!

**Chapter 07 – "Battle Style!"**

"Wooooow~!" squealed Tessa. "Your Pokemon looks a lot tougher now!"

She was, of course, referring to Teppo, who had just recently evolved into a Pignite. Its size – in both height and mass - now dwarfed his pre-evolved self, but it still had its usual innocent-looking eyes. Compared to Kay's own height, it was now standing about past knee-length. It just stood there as Tessa and Parker looked over it, with the latter even feeling up its muscles.

"It's body is pretty sturdy too," Parker complimented, feeling up one of its arms. "So this is where all that attacking power comes from."

"I'm still very surprised myself…" Kay admitted, looking down at her Pokemon. "But Teppo is still Teppo, no matter what!"

She smiled to her Pignite, who beamed appreciatively in return.

"Of course it is!" said Sodo with a toothy grin, crossing his arms confidently over his chest. "A lot of us have seen our own Pokemon evolve. Even if they look different from the outside, they're still the same Pokemon we've raised on the inside – evolution doesn't change that fact." While Kay and the others smiled at his comment, Sodo's eyes suddenly sharpened. "But…! There WERE some very significant changes that I couldn't ignore."

Kay was starting to feel anxious. "W, What kind of changes, Sodo…? Were they bad…?"

"The worse. What happened to my cute little Pokemon, I thought?" Then he tightened his grip. "People stopped calling it 'cute', and **IN TURN IT HALTED MY CHANCES OF PICKING UP LADIES**!"

And then there was silence….

"Having cute Pokemon always attracted them," he continued. "… and they'd always flock around saying 'wow, it's so cute'…! But then my Pokemon evolved looking stronger and they all just stopped coming! I'm pretty sure…. that everyone here knows that feeling…!"

"So are you still going to call it 'Teppo', Kay?" asked Tessa. "I mean, I'm assuming 'Teppo' came from the word 'Tepig', right?"

Parker laughed. "Hehe… It's gotta be 'Piggo' now!"

Kay groaned. "Of course it's still 'Teppo'! I'm not planning on changing it!"

Sodo was ignored completely.

Nevertheless Sodo turned his sights to Kay's Pignite. But it was true that there will be changes, he thought to himself. A Pokemon evolves for different reasons, but it is usually due to a significant reason. He heard that it evolved right after challenging Inez and her Combusken, so it was possible that it could be 'that', he thought. 'I can't help but wonder…' he said to himself, in his head, though grinning on the outside. '… just how much stronger it is now.'

Not long after, Leader Dempsey returned from the office upstairs, joined in by Charles as usual. "That's enough resting, kid," he said, turning his eyes towards Kay. "Head downstairs and we'll proceed with your next training."

Kay firmly nodded. "Yes, sir!"

"Nite…!" Pignite cried out with determination.

As the two made their way downstairs with Dempsey following them from behind, Tessa, Parker and Sodo could not help but watch.

"It's almost hard to believe that she actually challenged Inez to a rematch…' said Parker, smiling lightly. "Didn't think she had it in her.' He sighed, however. "But Inez and her Combusken are definitely going to take this next fight seriously – there's no way they'd win."

Sodo chuckled at that. "Heh, I wouldn't know about that, Blondie. Anything can happen in a Pokemon Battle after all. And those two looked damn well focused."

"So are you saying they could actually win?" asked Tessa. "Against Inez?"

"**Gyaaahahaha**!" laughed Sodo suddenly. "No freaking way! I just meant they could survive a little longer than their last Pokemon Battle!"

'He's the worse…' thought Tessa and Parker in unison.

Charles, however, just laughed it off. "But the hard part is only just beginning."

* * *

Leader Dempsey dropped a pair of focus mitts on the table in front of Kay. "Put these on," he said sternly. "You're going to need it for Teppo's next training."

Kay, picking it up, started to look over them. "What are these…? Gloves…?"

"They're focus mitts," he pointed out. "Boxers use the same things for their own training, but these ones are more enforced and are specially made for training Pokemon." He waited for Kay to put both mitts on, and chuckled a little when she tried to move her hands. "A little heavy, aren't they? Don't worry; you'll get used to them in time. Now get into the ring, you two."

He pointed the two towards the giant Pokeball pattern on the floor. As they stepped onto it, memories came flooding back to the time when they first fought Inez and Blaze. And they would be fighting here again in three months.

"Now for the training," Dempsey continued. "What we'll be doing is to teach your Pokemon how to properly dodge incoming attacks, especially since Inez's Combusken will try to close-in on you whenever the opportunity rises. What I want you to do, Kid… is to strike at your Pignite."

Kay's eyes quickly widened. "W, What? Strike Teppo…? B, But I can't do that…!"

"Hmm?" He started to frown at her now, which silenced the latter from saying anything further. "Do understand, Kid: humans and Pokemon are very different in terms of power – a punch from any man is unlike a punch from a Pokemon. Trust me when I say that what you'll do to your Pokemon now… is nothing compared to what it would feel in a Pokemon Battle."

Kay was still worried about this, even peeking looks at Teppo, who felt and did the same things.

"But Teppo evolved…" said Kay. "Wouldn't that mean that its body is stronger now too?"

"..." Leader Dermpsey narrowed his eyes at that. "… tell me, Kid: was your Tepig standing like it is now as a Pignite?"

Kay shook her head. "No, but…" Then it hit her, and her eyes snapped open.

"I see you've just probably realized it too. It is indeed true that a Pokemon normally gets stronger as it evolves, but Pokemon evolution is not all about just the Pokemon becoming stronger and bigger. Some Pokemon change from one color to another, change from one type to the other… but you need to take into consideration that the ways their bodies work have also changed. If you were a Pokemon and you went from having no legs to having them, do you think you could adapt to them that easily?"

"No…" muttered Kay. "I wouldn't…"

"Your Pokemon is also bigger than it used to be, so it would need to adjust itself to how it moves around. You were lucky that we did some roadwork before we got here so your Pokemon was at least able to quickly learn how to run and walk. But do you remember what happened after Inez and Blade had left? Think back."

Indeed, Kay recalled it but she thought it was just an accident. After Inez and her Combusken left, they were about to continue with their roadwork.

… but Teppo tripped over itself.

"Pokemon are intelligent creatures so they learn the basic things very easily," continued Dempsey. "But it doesn't mean that they can master them with ease. As a Pokemon Trainer, you need to understand and remember this while caring for your Pokemon."

For a while there she thought Leader Dempsey was being cruel. "I understand. It's just that…"

"I know it's difficult," said Leader Dempsey. "You are very close with your Pokemon, but there are things a Pokemon Trainer must do – even though they may not necessarily like them – just to ensure that their Pokemon will survive in a Pokemon Battle."

Kay nodded without question, and slowly turned to face Teppo. The two looked indecisive over this whole thing; Kay had never hit Teppo for anything in her life, and Teppo knew that itself. The Pignite assured her, however, that he was willing, and looked up at her with a straight face. Kay braced herself for what was going to happen, her hands trembling within the padded mitts. Leader Dempsey chose to say nothing more – he would allow her to take her time.

Finally, Kay looked down at Teppo and muttered, "… sorry for this, Teppo."

And she swung her right hand at her Pokemon, striking it squarely on the side of its face!

Kay's eyes widened after she did that; Teppo didn't even bother to dodge or block her. The strike caused Teppo to step sideways a little, and Kay's heart started beating like crazy. She just hit Teppo – she just hurt her best friend.

But before Kay could call out to it out of worry… Teppo quickly stomped its foot onto the ground, stopping itself from falling over! To her surprise, the Pokemon not only turned its head to look back at her, but it was only smiling with confidence! The Pignite then went into a stance, as if assuring her that it was unhurt. That alone was significantly enough to calm Kay down, and Leader Dempsey smiled at the sight.

"Very good," he said. "Pokemon who share a close bond with their Trainer can tell when something is being done to them for their own good. Your Pokemon felt the emotion you've put in that strike, and it now accepts you as its training partner. So what will you do now, Kid? Will you accept your Pokemon's fighting spirit?"

She was so close to tears earlier, but she quickly put on a straight face. If Teppo accepted her, then she must not turn her back on it.

"Yes, sir…!" she finally cried out.

"Then put more back into it!" Leader Dempsey said. "Inez's Combusken has a lot fast and powerful kicks! Prepare your Pignite for them!"

Though she was still hesitant, Kay forced herself to keep swinging the mitts at Teppo, who dodged and blocked some of them while getting hit with the rest.

"Learn to move your body more, Pignite!" he shouted. "Since your body is bigger, you need to learn to not take direct hits. Kid, don't stop yet! Keep going at it!" In the inside, Dempsey was actually worried that the two may not be able to go through with the training – it had been a long time, though, since he had seen someone so close with their Pokemon. "That's it! If you can't dodge them, block them with your arms! Keep at it, you two!"

* * *

"Ha….!" gasped Kay as she dropped to her knees, her body now drenched with sweat.

Teppo was also tired out, and it fell right on its backside in front of her. They had been going at it for a long time, taking only short breaks in between sessions, but Teppo was still getting hit here and there; Kay however felt her arms aching from swinging them around so much. Needless to say, their stamina was very much challenged.

"Your Pokemon was still getting hit here and there," sighed Dempsey. "But since this is its first time, I'll let it slide. Inez's Combusken is an agile fighter – if your Pokemon can't dodge all of its attacks, it's as good as defeated."

"Y, Yes… sir…" Kay panted.

"You can rest for now then," said Dempsey. "But come back in the afternoon for further training. We still need to decide your Pokemon's battle style."

"'Ba…. Battle style'….?"

"For example… Inez's Combusken focuses more on using Counters. It's the same move that took out your Tepig in their last fight. Her Battle Style revolves around her Combusken dodging and parrying before using the opponent Pokemon's own momentum against it to deliver double the damage. It's a high level technique that requires intense training."

"W, Wow…" said Kay. "Inez is even more amazing than I thought…"

"… why exactly are you singing praises for your opponent?" asked Dempsey. "Remember that you and Teppo will be battling against her and Blaze in three months. You need to figure out a way so that your Pignite won't fall prey to the Counter."

"O, Oh, right…" chuckle Kay weakly.

"Go and get something to drink and eat for your Pokemon and yourself. We'll resume training later."

Leader Dempsey turned to leave, and Kay and Teppo quickly stood up to bow to him from behind. "Thank you for the training…!" said Kay, to which Dempsey merely scoffed at – though he was smiling over it. "Training for a Pokemon Battle is a lot tougher than I thought… Are you sure you're alright, Teppo? I didn't hit you too hard, did I…?"

Teppo shook its head. "Nite! Pignite…!"

"I'm glad…" Kay sighed. "But Inez and Blaze are really incredible, aren't they…? I wonder if we'll actually be able to battle them properly when the time comes." It was at that time, however, that both their stomachs started to growl. "… looks like we'd better get something to eat then."

"Pignite…!" laughed the Pokemon, rubbing on its belly with glee.

* * *

"Thank you very much!"

The store clerk thanked them for her purchases as Kay walked out of the local store. Teppo was currently resting in its Pokeball, which she was holding in one hand. She wanted to get a sip from her bottle of water, but figured it would be better to drink it with Teppo once they return to the Gym. But just when she was about to turn to face its direction…

"Is that you, Plainer?" a voice spoke up – a very familiar voice. Just hearing it got Kay to freeze on the spot. "Oh, wow, it IS her! I almost didn't recognize her!"

Kay slowly turned her head to look behind her, and not surprisingly, three familiar girls in the form of Terry, Vicky and Nicky started approaching her. That spoilt, child-like voce came from Vicky.

"You cut your hair, Plainer?" Nicky asked, stepping forward. "Wow, it looks sooo weird - we're always used to seeing you and your ponytail. Did something happen to make you cut it? Looks like a cheap haircut too."

"N, No…" said Kay, putting up a weak, smiling front. "I… just thought it'd be more convenient this way."

"She must be talking about how you pulled her hair last time, Terry!" Vicky exclaimed with a playful giggle. "Now you can't yank on her ponytail!"

"Whoa, did you tell on us, you tattletale?" enquired Nicky, giving her a frown.

"No way she'd do that," Terry said, finally speaking up. "She doesn't have the guts. I don't know why you got that haircut and I don't really care. But what the heck are you wearing? Don't tell me THIS is what you wear on a Sunday."

She was referring to her track suit, of course.

"What, seriously?" Vicky asked. "Eww! And she smells like sweat too! Then again I guess that's expected from a farm girl!"

"…." Kay stayed quiet over that, but she did pull up her jacket's collar a little.

"Say, why don't you go and buy us something to drink?" asked Terry, rolling her eyes to the side. "I want some soda. Then again, I think I want something to eat too – maybe some melon bread would be a nice snack right now."

"Hey, look!" Vicky suddenly cried out, pointing at Kay's hand. "Isn't that a Pokeball?"

"Wha…?" asked Nicky, raising an eyebrow. "When the heck did you start carrying a Pokeball around? Is there even a Pokemon in there?" She tried to grab it, but Kay quickly reacted and yanked it away from her grasp. "Hey! Let me look at it!"

"It's just a Model One…" moaned Vicky. "And it looks like a cheap one too."

"Then you wouldn't mind showing it to us, right?" asked Nicky. "It's not that big of a deal."

But it was a big deal for Kay: this was her very first Pokeball, and not to mention Teppo was still in there. She didn't know what these three would do with the Pokeball; what if they did something that would end up with her losing it? She tightened her grip around the ball, taking two steps backwards.

"Why you little…" The vein on Nicky's head almost popped out that time. "Are you actually not going to let me see it even once?!"

Just then, another familiar voice spoke up: "What are you three doing? You can't just harass people to give you what you want."

Nicky turned angrily at the voice speaking up behind them. She was about to tell whoever it was off, but was taken aback by what she saw – the same went with Terry and Vicky. Kay, however, couldn't help but feel relieved and smiled.

It was Inez, and her Combusken stood right next to her. There were hints of sweat from her as well, but she didn't look like a mess at all – in fact, she still looked pretty beautiful. She had tied her hair into a ponytail though. Terry, Vicky and Nicky, on the other hand, couldn't help but wonder who this 'beauty' was, and was even more surprised with what she said after:

"Are you alright, Planer?" Inez asked. "How come you're not saying anything?"

"So you're a friend of Plainer, huh?" Vicky asked. "Aww, are you here to rescue little ol' her?" But Inez sharply turned her sights to her, flashing a cold stare. That was enough to scare the usually bubbly Vicky into silence. "H, Hee…!" Just like that, she even started to back away from the unfamiliar girl.

"Hey, girly!" Nicky exclaimed, pointing right at Inez. "You think you can just-"

"I think I can just **what** …?" asked Inez, narrowing her eyes sharply at the spoilt tomboy. "Try and finish that sentence after what **you've** been doing."

'W-Wow…' Kay thought, sweat-dropping. 'Inez can be really scary if she wants to…'

"Y, You'd better leave now…" threatened Terry. "Or else I'm going to tell my Furfrou to bite that Pokemon of yours."

Inez narrowed her eyes at Terry this time, but she looked absolutely unaffected by her words. "Are you actually going to challenge me to a Pokemon Battle?" Inez asked. "I'll warn you though: my Combusken is strong."

The three girls turned their attention to the fighting bird Pokemon, who gave them a piercing glare in return. Without thinking twice, the bullying trio turned away and made a hasty retreat. "We won't forget this!" shouted Terry. "Just you wait!"

Kay blinked, watching the three leave. "Wow, that's the second time I've seen them run away like that… T, Thank you, Ine-" But when she turned to face her 'savior', she was already gone! "Ah…!" Kay ran to look behind a nearby corner, and quickly recognized Inez and Blaze walking away. "I, Inez…! Please wait up…!" As usual, Inez didn't say much, and merely turned to stop and give Kay her attention. "Um… Thank you for helping me out." Kay quickly dug into her plastic bag, taking out a can of mango drink. "H, Here… I actually bought this one for you. I thought you'd be thirsty after your own roadwork."

"I don't want it," Inez plainly said, turning away to walk again.

"I, Inez…!" Kay cried out. "I was hoping we could talk a bit..!" But Inez continued to walk away. "Inez, wait up! I, Inez…!"

She tried to just phase Kay's voice out, but she didn't expect the girl to keep calling out to her – plus there were bystanders looking at them because of it! "Alright, already!" Inez finally turned her head to look at Kay, looking visibly annoyed. "Just stop yelling out my name – it's embarrassing!"

"Oh, s-sorry…" And Kay lowered her head apologetically.

* * *

The two decided to sit at a bench at a nearby park, where there were others enjoying their Sunday. At first, neither of them spoke much to each other and simply had their drinks. This reminded Kay of the last time they were together – though it was her that invited Inez this time. Teppo was finally out of its Pokeball, staring at Blaze as its fellow Fire-type was exercising on its own by throwing kicks at the air, which it tried to mimic, only to fall on its back almost every time much to the Combusken's chagrin.

"So what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Inez finally asked. "If this is about thanking me for what happened earlier, you should have said something to them in the first place."

"No, it's not that…" said Kay. "Well… I've been... a little curious recently."

"About what?"

It was a question that had recently popped into Kay's head every time Inez was brought up. To Kay, Inez was very much everything she hoped to be: strong and independent. But she couldn't help but wonder over one particular question about her:

"Why did you become a Pokemon Trainer?"

"What…?"

"I'm sorry if it's a personal question…! You don't have to answer it if you don't want to."

"Well, why did you decide to become a Pokemon Trainer?" Inez returned the question to her.

Kay didn't expect that; she didn't expect Inez to be interested in knowing something about her instead. "Well… It's a little embarrassing but…" Kay pushed two fingers together. "… I didn't want me and Teppo to be 'weak' anymore. I figured that if I took up Pokemon Battling… I'll slowly learn what it means to be strong. I'm sorry if that was a little vague… It's just… what you and Sodo said to me really made me open my eyes."

"You actually took to heart what I said to you that time? Huh, I'm a bit surprised, really… And no, I think that's a perfectly good reason." That got Kay smiling a bit. "As for me… I wanted to continue where my mother left off."

"Eh? Your mother…?"

"Yeah. Back when my mother was young, she was also a Pokemon Trainer. Me and my father used to watch her as part of the audience. I looked up to her – the way she led her Pokemon to victory, the way she had everyone cheering for her… the way her Pokemon made full use of the Counter – they even called her the 'Counter Queen' at one point." Inez smiled. "I remember always getting excited whenever my mother's name flashed up on the big screen of the stadium."

"Was your mother really that good of a Pokemon Trainer?"

"One of the best I've seen in my opinion," said Inez. "And a lot of people said so too. But then… it all came crumbling down in one Pokemon Battle." Kay started to worry hearing that. "A lucky shot struck my mother's main Pokemon really hard… going so far as breaking its ribs. The damage was too much, and her Pokemon not only lost, but the doctors diagnosed it to be unable to battle any more. The Pokemon passed away two years later, never getting to return to the Battle Ring… and just like that everyone and everything were gone from us. Eventually my father even chose to abandon me and my mother. All because of one bad day..."

"That's horrible… Why would they just leave…?"

"It's not that surprising; my mother was talented as a Pokemon Trainer, but without her being in any Pokemon Battle, she would just fade into the background. Soon enough no one cared anymore if she'd return or not." Inez looked towards her Combusken, who was still kicking the air on its own. "… Blaze is the offspring of my mother's Pokemon that time. My mother lost her will to continue her path as a Pokemon Trainer… but I promised her that I would step up in her place. I want to prove that my mother's ways were not wrong, that it could have taken her far if it wasn't for that incident, and that the people should not have turned their backs on us when they did." Inez then started to stand up, before tossing the empty can into the bin next to her. "I will help Blaze sharpen the Counter more and more… and we won't stop until we stand at the top of the world."

Combusken saw Inez standing up and walked straight to her, leaving Teppo, who was again lying on its back, behind.

"I'm going to look forward to our rematch in three months, Kay Planer," Inez continued. "I will show you just how strong Blaze and I are."

She didn't say anything else after that, and simply walked away with her Combusken not far from her. Kay couldn't stop thinking how incredible Inez was – it was no wonder that she was so strong, she thought. She looked at her Pignite and then to the Pokeball in her hand. After some thinking, she tightened her grip around the ball and stood right back up.

"Let's go back to the gym, Teppo!" Kay said. "I've decided… how we're going to battle with Inez and Blaze!"

"Pignite!" the Pokemon nodded in agreement!

* * *

**FazzEagle:** This was a more heavy-hearted chapter which shows just how much a person has to sacrifice for Pokemon Battling - even if it would mean hurting their precious Pokemon with their own hands. The chapter also shows just how dangerous Pokemon Battling can be for both the Trainer and their Pokemon so it's vital that the Trainer trains their Pokemon properly so they could actually last longer in life. But this was actually fun for me to write, especially showcasing more of Kay's fangirl-ness over Inez lol Pokemon evolution is also brought up in this chapter and sharing a little of what's good and bad about it, and of course 'Battle Style' is the theme of this story, which will be further explored in the next chapter.

Please do leave a review or two to let me know what you think of it!


	8. A Punch of Fire!

**Chapter 08 – "A Punch of Fire!"**

Leader Dempsey sat at his desk, alone in his office. His eyes shifted towards the nearby clock, showing the shorter needle not far from reaching the big twelve. Kay should be back soon, he thought to himself – though his own realization of the thought made him chuckle; it was not ever since Sodo and Inez first arrived at his Gym that he felt so eager to train a Trainer and their Pokemon. However, his train of thought was interrupted by a few knocks on his door. He turned his chair around, only to see Charles walking in.

"Sorry to interrupt, Leader," said Charles. "But someone's here to see you."

"Hmph," Dempsey scoffed. "Let them in."

"Alright, he'll see you now."

The person turned out to be a woman – perhaps around her forties. At one glance most people could probably tell that she was one of those people who were beautiful in their younger days. Her hair was a mix of grey and blonde, kept only to her shoulders in length. Her eyes looked worn from either stress or her age, but they were focused and sharp nonetheless. She wore a dark green sport jacket but wore a pair of light blue jeans – both nicely hugged around her form. Upon entry, she greeted Leader Dempsey with a light smile.

"Good morning, Leader," she said. "It has been a while."

"Good morning, Charlotte," he greeted back. "Sorry to say but your daughter hasn't returned from her roadwork yet."

"That's fine with me," she chuckled. "I'm just glad that she's doing alright here." She then walked towards the window, staring out of it for a moment. Only after did she turn to look back at Leader Dempsey. "Her Pokemon Trainer License Test isn't that long from now; she'll finally… become an official Pokemon Trainer and start entering tournaments."

"Are you worried?"

"Not exactly," she smiled. "I am very confident that she'll pass it, and it's something she has been looking forward to for years now. Soon she and her Pokemon will be able to put their skills and training to the test against new opponents."

Dempsey chuckled at that. "… funny of you to say that." Charlotte looked back at him curiously. "… because your daughter just recently accepted a challenge. For a sparring battle in three months, to be specific."

"Oh, she hasn't told me… Is it someone from this Gym? It's Sodo, isn't it?"

"Hmph. No, not him… but let's just say…" He folded his hands together in front of him, just slightly in front of his bearded chin. "… it **is** someone else I've recently decided to personally train."

Just what kind of person would that be, she wondered. She knew Leader Dempsey enough that he wouldn't just accept anyone to personally train – in this Gym that normally meant a big deal. Just when she was about to enquire further about her daughter's 'new challenger' however, she turned her attention towards the door, hearing feet running up the stairs.

"Leader Dempsey!" an unfamiliar voice called out. "I-… eh?"

* * *

Finally arriving at the Gym and with Teppo back in its Pokeball, Kay Planer hurried towards the stairs leading to her Gym Leader's office – though not without first politely bowing her head to some of the people there like Tessa and Parker. Tessa tried to warn the girl that Leader Dempsey was seeing to a guest, but Kay had left her sights before she could even finish!

"What's with the rush…?" Tessa wondered.

It wasn't long until Kay arrived upstairs, stopping right by the opened door. She first spotted Charles and then Dempsey, but it was only when she tried to say something did she realize that a third person was in the room.

"Who might this be?" the unfamiliar woman asked, looking her over. "I don't think I've seen her around here before… Is she a relative of yours?"

"Not exactly," Leader Dempsey said. "Charlotte, meet the newest member of the Gym: Kay Planer. She's the one I was talking about."

Kay flustered. "Eh…? You were talking about me…? What about?" She looked between Dempsey, Charlotte and Charles. "Did I do something?"

That surprised Charlotte – this girl didn't look like much of a Pokemon Trainer. However she wouldn't question Dempsey's judgment, but it was hard for her to picture this particular girl challenging her daughter to a Pokemon Battle.

"Never mind that," said Leader to Kay. "What is it that you wanted from me? If you're eager to continue your training, you should just wait for me downstairs."

"Sorry… I guess I was a little too excited. It's just that…" Then she wore a straight face. "I've decided how I want to face Inez."

"…!" Dempsey, Charles and Charlotte were surprised by that.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes down to the girl – she spoke her daughter's name; there was no mistaking it: this girl was Inez's upcoming 'challenger'. What was more interesting, however, was what she just said. She chose to say nothing, and merely waited for her to continue. Dempsey was just as curious, but he slowly leaned back against his rotating chair, with his eyes still glued to Kay.

"Oh?" asked Leader Dempsey. "And how would that be?"

Kay was feeling a tad cautious with someone unfamiliar in the room, but she could not just refuse to answer Leader Dempsey like that. "At first…" Kay started. "… I was thinking that maybe I should just have Inez's Combusken come after Teppo instead of the other way around, maybe even… tiring it before Teppo could land a hit."

Dempsey sounded a little impressed. "So as to minimize the chances of her Combusken to land a Counter…"

Kay firmly nodded. "… but then I changed my mind."

"Hm…?"

"… we'd just be avoiding them." Everyone else in the room did not understand that, but they could tell from Kay's eyes and tone that she knew what she was saying. "Inez and Blaze are amazing… and Inez said that she'll show me just how much stronger they can be compared to our last spar."

"Um, but Kay…" Charles called out. "… choosing to focus on evading and blocking isn't a bad strategy. In fact, against Inez, that might be best."

Kay was quiet for a moment, but then spoke the words, "But then Teppo and I would just be running away from them." That silenced the room again. "I know it's probably a good idea for Teppo to just wait until her Combusken tires out… but I honestly believe that eventually it will catch up to Teppo. That's why, Leader Dempsey… I choose to battle Inez head-on!"

"Head-on?" asked Leader Dempsey, slowly standing up and narrowing his eyes at her. "Kid, do you know exactly what you're asking for here? That would just increase the chances that your Pokemon will get hit by the Counter. Your Pokemon will be nothing but prey in the Battle Ring."

"But I don't want us to be afraid of them…"

"'Afraid'…?"

"Inez and Blaze are really strong… but I want to show them… that Teppo and I can be strong too!"

Charles and Charlotte turned their attention to Dempsey, who they swore – judging by how hard he was tightening his grip on his table - almost looked like he was about to explode.

"**FINE**," said Leader Dempsey. "If that's how you want to face them, then so be it! But training is going to be that much harder from now on. Are you willing to push your Pokemon and yourself for the next three months?"

Kay started to beam, and nodded gladly. "Yes, sir! Whatever it takes!"

"Then head down right this instant. We're going to continue your training right away!"

"Yes, sir!"

Kay turned to run back down the stairs, with Charlotte noticing the smile on the girl's face as she did.

Leader Dempsey, however, sighed and leaned back against his chair. "So she has decided to actually bring the fight to her opponent without running away. I can't tell whether she's being reckless or courageous; that one has been full of surprises since day one." His eyes shifted back towards Charlotte. "So what do you think of her? She'll be facing your daughter in three months after all."

"…" Charlotte stared at the door. "… you've definitely found someone interesting; I can see why Inez accepted her challenge."

Charles chuckled. "Something tells me their sparring battle will be beneficial for both of them. Not many people in this Gym would genuinely want to face Inez 'head-on' like that."

"You're right, Charles. I'm definitely looking forward to it."

But as Kay climbed back down the stairs, she couldn't help but wonder: 'Who was that woman back there though…?'

* * *

For the next two weeks, training indeed became more grueling for both Kay and Teppo.

Their roadwork became twice as hard and twice as long, once again moving from just jogging to sprinting with all their might and covering more ground than before. Not only that, but their roadwork now involved climbing up a hill, with Teppo tied to Dempsey's scooter and dragging it upwards! Kay would not let her Pokemon suffer alone, however. Despite not being told to do so by Leader Dempsey, Kay would actually tie herself to a somewhat heavy tire, forcing herself to drag it uphill alongside her Pokemon!

"D, Don't worry, Teppo…!" she said between pants. "… we'll do this together…!"

"Pignite…!" cried out the Pokemon, flashing a grateful smile.

Leader Dempsey stayed silent the whole time, but anyone but Kay and Teppo could tell he was smiling because of the two.

As for training in the Gym, Kay was told to put more intensity in her strike attempts at her Pignite. So many times she had knocked it down, but what used to be feeling of guilt and worry eventually evolved into confidence and trust. Teppo was even taught to put its arms in front of it the whole time to hopefully make it a habit to constantly block while moving.

"Put more back into it, Kid!" shouted Dempsey as he stood at ring side. "Your Pignite must learn to be aware of its surroundings!"

"Yes, sir!" shouted Kay in return.

"Pignite!" Teppo would say in unison.

Even Inez had to stop and take notice of the two every now and then. As she watched the two pour their blood and sweat into their training, Inez remembered what her mother told her: about how Kay and her Pignite have chosen to face Blaze's Counter head-on.

"…"

Kay and Teppo's training continued even during school days, where they would head straight to the Gym after dismissal. Their training and exercise helped them out then too – Terry and her girls barely could keep up with her running this time!

"D, Darn it…!" Terry cried out, while the other two girls would be down on their knees in exhaustion.

Even Kay's father took notice of their dedication, but he chose to just smile and let them do what they want. All he needed to do was make sure there wasn't too much work for them to do when they return, and prepare dinner and a bed. Though what surprised him more was how much more effective they were in grazing the wilder Tauros of the farm. Teppo used to struggle against it, but now it only needed to tackle it once to calm it down, and his own daughter was able to catch up to the Taurous' speed within seconds!

"Well I'll be…" chuckled her father, watching as Kay and Teppo worked together to bring the bull Pokemon back to its barn.

From push-ups, to pull-ups, to sit-ups and even weight-lifting, Kay did them all with her Pokemon through its rigorous training. Despite not being able to keep up with Teppo in most of them though, Kay never backed down and pushed herself for her Pokemon's sake.

Their teamwork quickly won the respect of the rest of the Gym, especially Sodo, Tessa and Parker.

"Come on, Kay!" shouted Tessa as she and her Toxicroak continued to run further than her and Teppo. "Peaches and I are still way ahead of you two in terms of roadwork!"

"W, Wait up…!" Kay cried out.

"G, Guys…" groaned Parker, who was actually further behind the others. "S, Slow down a bit, will ya…?"

Much to his Manectric's dismay, of course.

"Gyaaaaahahahaha!" Of course, Sodo and his Machop were always way ahead of them, sprinting like there was no tomorrow. "Come on, you weaklings! You can't even run this much!? Me and MY Pokemon are hardly breaking a sweat! Gyaaahahahaha!"

'M, Monster…' Kay, Tessa and Parker thought in unison.

And almost every day Kay and Teppo returned home in the evening to finish the rest of the farm work left by Thomas, and the two always fell right to sleep as soon as they reach the bed.

"Those two…" muttered Kay's father. "Good luck."

Their training progressed nicely, and eventually the two was able to cope with chasing after Leader Dempsey's scooter or even climbing up the hill while dragging weight from behind. Kay and Teppo were even able to catch up to Tessa and her Toxicroak during their roadwork – granted Sodo was still way ahead of any of them and laughing at their expense. As for training with the mitts, Teppo learned to weave its body to avoid Kay's strikes while also learning to take and block them with its arms. Most importantly though: Teppo was able to close in on Kay more so than usual!

Leader Dempsey grinned at that. "Very good, you two."

* * *

Before they knew it, Kay and Teppo reached the second week of their training under Leader Dempsey, but they were not told to do anything else but their Sunday morning roadwork. Today was different – today they work with the punching bags.

"Looks like you two are finally warmed up," said Leader Dempsey, stepping forward to stand next to the punching bag. "Today we'll do something new: we'll focus on your offenses this time." With his cane, he patted the center of the suspended bag as hard as his old arm could swing. "Come; show me the results of your training. Remember how I taught you on how your Pokemon should punch?"

Kay nodded. "Yes, sir." She looked down at Teppo, who looked at her in return. "Alright, Teppo… Remember what I taught you? Left foot forward, right foot back…" Kay would do it herself to give Teppo a visual example. "And… keep your right fist tucked by your waist… and then twist your waist when you throw a right. Right?" That last question was directed to Dempsey, of course.

"Hmm," the Gym Leader nodded. "Very good."

"Nite!" the Pignite swung its right arm a little eagerly.

The fire pig Pokemon blew a little from its snout and slowly took its fighting stance. Kay wished it luck while Dempsey and Charles waited. Sodo was sparing with – or rather, 'bullying' – Parker's Manectric into submission, while Tessa was resting with her Toxicroak at the bench. Inez was resting against the wall near Tessa, with her Combusken resting in its Pokeball. Teppo and Kay were not aware though that the others were attentively looking at their direction.

Teppo blew more fire from its snout and slowly tightened its right fist. It never once got a chance to strike at anything this whole time so now it was eager to just hit the punching bag. Finally, the Pokemon threw its right fist forward!

But then something unexpected happened.

As it was preparing the punch, its fist literally heated up – so much that the air above it danced. When it finally threw it forward, something lighted up… The twist of its body allowed the Pokemon to back its punch with the weight of its body, and in those few seconds, its eyes burned with fiery determination… and its fist was suddenly covered entirely by FIRE!

**WHAM!**

The people watching didn't even get much chance to show their surprise – the noise from its fist slamming into the bag echoed across the room, and the bag itself swung incredibly upwards, leaving a scorched mark on its center!

"….….!?" Everyone including Kay was shocked at the Pignite's evolved attacking power.

It was nothing like when it was as a Tepig.

"W… Wow…!" Kay cried out. "That was amazing, Teppo! You did it…!"

"NIte!" Teppo cheered happily in return, raising its arms in the air.

"Leader Dempsey…" Charles called out. "That punch it did just now…"

Leader Dempsey recovered from his shock, and nodded firmly. "Yes, it was… but I don't remember teaching those two that move before." He looked at Kay and Teppo, who were too busy celebrating by themselves to see the surprise in everyone else's face. "A punch made of fire… When wielded by a strong Pokemon with an affinity to fire, will unleash incredible explosive attacking power. There's no mistaking it: that move just now was… a **FIRE PUNCH**."

"Did you say something, Leader Dempsey?" asked Kay, finally looking up at the old man.

He cleared his throat a bit, and turned his head to look towards the bag. "That punch your Pignite did was no ordinary punch – that move was called a 'Fire Punch'."

"'Fire Punch'…?" The girl blinked.

She didn't even know about it – that surprised him, but he merely chuckled at it. "It used to be more common years ago before Pokemon Trainers developed and started to favor newer and better moves for their Pokemon. Along with the Ice and Thunder Punch, the move once ruled the in-fighting among Fire-Type Pokemon, but it had the most destructive power of the three when used properly. It was a move that truly tested the physical prowess between rivals."

Kay and Teppo looked at each other in disbelief.

Sodo watched from afar. "Fire Punch, huh?" muttered Sodo. "DIdn't expect something like that coming from those two."

Parker, who was tending to his defeated Pokemon, looked up at the man with the toothy grin. "I don't see why it's a big deal… It's just a Fire Punch, right?"

"You idiot!" scolded Sodo. "How long have you been a Pokemon Trainer? Being able to use a move like Fire Punch without even first learning it and with that much power… there's no mistaking it: Pokemon Battling is in Teppo's blood."

Inez watched from afar as well, secretly growing more and more interested in Kay and her Pokemon. 'Fire Punch'…' she thought to herself. '... good work, Planer – you actually got me fired up with that display. I look forward to facing you two in the Battle Ring.' And with that, Inez turned away... or else was about to until…

"Now that you've seen what your Pokemon is capable of," said Dempsey, looking directly at Kay. "Do you only want to just fight Inez and Blaze?" That question stopped Inez in her tracks. "… or do you want to actually defeat them?"

"L, Leader Dempsey…!" Kay flustered, peeking to the side towards Inez's direction. "Inez is right there…"

"HMM? Is that the attitude you're going to go with entering the battle? You two won't amount to much with that! Don't you actually want to win against them?!"

Kay lowered her head for a moment, but then looked directly at Leader Dempsey's face again with determined eyes. "Yes, sir…!"

Inez whipped her head quickly towards the two upon hearing that.

…and Kay quickly stepped backwards. "A, Ah…! Sorry, Inez….!"

Everyone else in the room fell flat on the floor in reaction.

But soon everyone except Dempsey, Kay and Teppo started laughing over it, much to the latter two's confusion. Inez took this opportunity to continue walking away from the scene.

* * *

"It was amazing, Dad…!" said Kay with a smile. "I didn't even know Teppo could do something like that."

Thomas Planer chuckled. "Pokemon are full of mysteries, after all. Sounds like you two had a great time at the Gym."

The Planer family was enjoying dinner that evening, with Teppo eating its share while sitting on the floor. As usual ever since they started their training, they ate their portions with more appetite than Thomas could remember – he found the whole thing rather amusing, actually, seeing his daughter stuffing her face with a rare expression.

"I can't wait for our Pokemon Battle with Inez and Blaze…" she continued. "… I still don't know if we'll be able to win, but we're going to work hard for it."

"That's all anyone would ask for, Kay. Don't worry about the dishes – I'll clean them for you. You two must be really exhausted from all that training."

"I, It's okay, Dad!" she said, waving her hand to him. "I can clean them!"

Thomas couldn't help but chuckle again. "Now don't go pushing yourself, Kay. Remember that you do still have school to juggle along with your training. Don't worry about it."

Though she was still unsure, Kay nodded and smiled lightly in response. "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

Kay and Teppo were sound asleep in their room. Despite the change in Teppo's size, it still continued to sleep on top of her, and she didn't mind it at all – though Thomas could remember that it needed getting used to. With a smile, he slowly closed the door to Kay's room, leaving the two to their well-deserved rest.

* * *

**FazzEagle: **And so the Fire Punch made its long-awaited debut! When Leader Dempsey talked about how the move was used more commonly in the past, it was a reference to how the move is hardly even around anymore in recent games (I don't think I remember seeing it much at all in Pokemon X and Y!). That, and it's a reference to how Emboar could learn Fire Punch in Black and White 1 & 2 but not at all in X & Y (I honestly don't know why; it's even mentioned in its Pokedex page for pete's sake!).

In this story, I've made that Fire Punch is the more 'destructive' among the three elemental punches (Fire Punch, Thunder Punch and Ice Punch), but I'm sure you all can guess what the other two would be more known for. A time skip to three months later would be coming soon so look forward to the rematch between Kay and Inez!

As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated! And if you see any English mistakes or any improvements I could make on the Grammar, please tell - I wanna learn to write better.

Also, thank you to those who have submitted their OCs so far. A lot of them have been great so far and I can't wait to make use of them :)


	9. The Rematch!

**Chapter 09 – "The Rematch!"**

A month had passed before they even realized it.

Juggling work between school and the farm with their training at the Pokemon Gym, time had passed quicker than ever. Without a doubt, Kay and Teppo were gradually adjusting to their new lifestyle… but they still had to wake up at five in the morning to get a head start with their chores and then make their way to the Gym on the weekends.

An elderly woman of the village pulled open her sliding door to greet the early sun, only to find that someone else had beaten her to it as usual. It was none other than Kay and her Pignite, who was once again out jogging so early in the day.

"Oh, good morning, Kay," she greeted with a smile. "Heading to the Pokemon Gym again, are we?"

Seeing and hearing the greeting, both Kay and Teppo came to a halt, and politely bowed their heads with a smile.

"Good morning, Miss Mabel," greeted Kay. "Yeah, Teppo and I are actually on our way there again today."

The old woman chuckled. "Are you two actually going to jog all the way there this time too?"

"Yeah, I guess we are…" Kay meekly admitted, idly rubbing the back of her head. "But Teppo and I've gotten used to it – it was only harder during the first few attempts. Oh, right! It's been around past a month since one of our Miltank gave birth so it should be producing a lot more milk soon. So… So if you want any, feel free to tell me or Dad and I'll deliver them right to you."

"I might take you up on that, dear. Now go along before you're late."

"Right," said Kay with a firm nod. "Come on, Teppo! See you around, Miss Mabel!"

The two then set off towards the direction of the city again, with the old woman watching with a smile on her face.

"She's so much more lively now, that girl."

* * *

Tessa and her Toxicroak were out jogging around that morning as well – though unlike Kay and Teppo, they did live in the city, albeit still quite a distance from the Gym. The young woman let out a yawn before turning to a corner, only to spot two familiar faces. With her usual happy-go-lucky grin, she raised her hand to wave to them.

"Oy, Inez! Blaze!" Tessa called out. "Wait up!"

Inez and Blaze turned their heads to look towards the other two, stopping their own jogging for the mean time to greet their seniors. "Oh, Tessa," said Inez. "Good morning." As always, the sharp-eyed girl was unsmiling.

"We don't usually meet during our jogs around this time, do we?" chuckled Tessa. "You mind if Peaches and I tag along? You are on your way to the Gym, right?"

"Sure, go ahead. Let's go, Blaze."

The Combusken simply nodded before the two started on their jog again. Tessa could not help but find that amusing in the two.

"So are you two still looking forward to your rematch with Kay?" asked Tessa as she started jogging right next to Inez. "Because that's all that girl's been thinking about every day. 'Inez this', 'Inez that'. Sometimes I wonder if you two are even rivals – it's more of like she's your fan or something."

Rival? Inez herself never thought of it that way before. "I don't see her as my rival," Inez pointed out. "I'll admit that she's progressing faster than any of us thought, but I still believe that Blaze and I will come out victorious. My Pokemon Trainer License Test is right around the corner… there's no way I can afford to lose."

Tessa smiled at that. "That's so like you, 'Inie'."

"… I thought I asked you not to call me by that name – it's embarrassing."

However, the four of them spotted two other familiar faces across the street: Kay and Teppo, who had apparently just arrived to the city.

"Oh, look who're here now…" said Tessa. "Oy! Kay! Teppo! Over here, you two!"

Kay turned her head at the mention of her and Teppo's names. "Tessa…?" Spotting the young woman in question, Tessa bowed her head politely in greeting. "Good morning…!" But it was the sight of Inez that surprised her more – so much that the poor girl flustered. "I, Inez…! What are you doing here? OH! G… Good morning!" And she bowed her head once more.

Tessa sweatdropped. "What do you mean what she's doing here…? She's doing her morning roadwork like the rest of us."

"O-Oh…! Oh, right…" Kay chuckled awkwardly, trying to hide her shame.

"Blaze and I are going to jog ahead," said Inez. "We'll see you all back at the Gym."

"Huh? Oh, sure; go right on ahead," said Tessa.

That surprised Kay, but before she could say anything Inez and her Combusken were already jogging away from the scene. Kay and Teppo crossed the street in a hurry to meet with them, but it didn't seem like Inez or Blaze heard her calling out.

"I didn't make her mad, did I…?" whimpered Kay.

Tessa laughed at that. "Nah, I don't think so – there aren't a lot of things that could get that girl angry. I guess she must think it'd be awkward to jog around with the one she and her Pokemon will be facing against. Sides, we were actually just talking about you."

"E, Eh? Inez was talking about me…? W, What did she say?"

Tessa grinned. "Oh, I wonder~. Come on, Peaches!"

"Croak!" her Pokemon cried out, and soon the Trainer and Pokemon started jogging ahead as well.

"Tessa…!" moaned Kay. "Come on, please tell me…! Hey…!"

* * *

Finally the time had come.

It was marked right there on her calendar with the words 'Battle with Inez and Blaze' written over the date. They had trained for three whole months and they almost couldn't believe that it was finally the long-awaited day. She and Teppo were restless the night before, their minds thinking nonstop about today. Teppo, especially, was literally warming up the entire bedroom with its increased body heat. Despite that, however, the two of them woke up extra early and by exactly five in the morning, Kay was fully dressed in her usual light blue track suit and Teppo was eager as ever.

They would head straight to the Gym, having been told by her father to leave the morning chores of the farm to him for the day.

"Are you ready, Teppo?" she asked.

"Nite," the Pignite said, firmly nodding to her.

"Then let's go! To our rematch!"

The Pokemon Battle between Kay's Pignite and Inez's Combusken was going to take place in at ten in the morning, but apparently by nine, people from the Gym were already riled up downstairs to see it. Both Tessa and Parker were there as well with the other Gym mates, standing at a safe distance from the Battle Ring, while others chose to just sit around. Inez was getting some last minute advices from Charlotte, who had decided to be by her corner for the Pokemon Battle.

"I can't wait to see what's gonna happen," said Parker. "I've been waiting for it for the whole three months!"

Tessa chuckled. "It's not even an official match and yet…" She looked around the room, towards all the people gathered there. "… so many came to watch it."

Charles, who was nearby, sighed. "We didn't really want word to get out of this… but apparently Sodo told everyone about it."

"Well, well! I didn't expect to see this big of an audience." A different voice spoke up this time, and as Charles turned around, a man with a pair of shades stood behind him. His hair was pushed backwards, giving a 'wild' look to what appeared to be a middle-aged man. He had a long face, a thick nose and jutting out chin – not to mention there was mischievous grin on his face the whole time. The man also wore a lab coat, which made him stand out among the rest of the people present. "Long time no see, Charlie."

"P, Professor Eucalyptus!?" Charles gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard an interesting Pokemon Battle was going to happen with Inez," said the eccentric-looking man. "I'm supposed to be writing an article on upcoming talents; Inez is one of those prospects people believe will be this year's breakout Trainer after all."

"H-How many people actually know about this anyway? Who told you about this?"

"Why, Sodo, of course!" The man laughed. "He personally called for me to be here!"

"T, That Sodo…! Doing whatever he wants as always…"

"So who's going to be facing Inez today? Sodo neglected to mention them."

"Oh, she's someone new to this Gym," said Tessa. "Just joined about three months ago actually. I'm pretty sure she'd be honored to meet the famous Pokemon Professor but…" She looked to her back. "… unfortunately she's the most anxious out of all of us about this Battle right now."

The Professor turned his sights on the girl sitting at a bench, accompanied by Leader Dempsey. She looked obviously nervous but she seemed to be listening to some advice from her Gym Leader. Oh well, he thought – he was here for Inez and her Combusken anyway.

"Calm down, Kid," said Leader Dempsey. "You and your Pokemon have been training really hard for this – just remember what I've taught you and lead your Pignite properly. Do you remember the rules of a Pokemon Battle? For this Battle, your Pokemon will have four minutes for each round of three, and then a one minute break in between. You and your Pokemon were defeated well around four minutes the last time – show them that you two can go beyond that."

"Yes, sir," said Kay, nodding firmly.

"I'll be in your corner to help you during the breaks," he continued. "You just need to focus on giving your Pokemon the commands."

"Yes, sir."

"Now stand up. It's time."

"Yes, sir…!"

And Kay stood up, and at the same time Inez and Charlotte were making their way to the respective spot across the Battle Ring. People looked on in anticipation, especially Tessa, Parker and Charles. However, when Kay arrived at her spot near the Battle Ring, she sighted Charlotte, the woman she remembered seeing in Leader Dempsey's office.

"It's that woman from that time…" said Kay. "So she'll be on Inez's side?"

"Of course," said Leader Dempsey. "Her daughter IS the one involved in the Pokemon Battle."

"…. eh?" Kay blinked. "Eh…!?" That startled most of the audience. "T, That's Inez's mother?" That outburst caught the audience by surprise again, but soon they all started laughing. "Eh? W, Why is everyone laughing…?"

"She's amusing, that one!" laughed Professor Eucalyptus.

Leader Dempsey sweatdropped at Kay. "… you didn't know she was Inez's mother?"

"O, Of course not…!"

"What the heck is that girl doing…" muttered Inez, looking somewhat irritated. "… getting the entire room laughing like that."

Charlotte chuckled at that. "At least it helps rid of the tension in the atmosphere."

Back with Dempsey and Kay: "You can worry about it later," said Leader Dempsey. "Right now you just need to focus on the Pokemon Battle. Look over there." He motioned his head towards Inez across the Battle Ring. "Your opponent is waiting for you to prepare yourself. Like you, she's been looking forward to this."

Kay quickly calmed herself down before nodding firmly to him, and soon straightened herself as she held out her Pokeball.

But…

"**WAIT A MINUTE**!" Again, someone else decided to interrupt, and unfortunately it was Sodo this time. Strangely enough, he came in from upstairs wearing a tucked-in white-collared shirt, complete with a red bow tie around his neck! Needless to say, everyone was speechless on his appearance. "Sorry for being late, ladies and gentleman!"

Leader Dempsey looked positively bewildered. "… what the heck is that idiot wearing…?"

Kay, on the other hand, fell over by the bizarre strange of events.

"Sorry, Old Man," said Sodo as he pulled on his bowtie a bit. "I had to dress for the occasion."

"This is what happens when I gave you permission to become this Battle's referee…?" He was about to scold him for that, but he merely scoffed it off. "Well, whatever; just make sure you do your job right – especially since you've pushed for this."

"Heh, you bet'cha. Alright, you two, let's get this Pokemon Battle going already! Stop dilly-dallying!"

"YOU'RE the one who's delaying it!" shouted Tessa and Parker in unison.

Ignoring the other two, Sodo moved to stand across the Battle Ring in the middle. He extended both his arms to the side, at the direction of Kay and Inez. "Alright, you two…" said Sodo with a toothy grin. "Are you ready?"

Kay nodded. "Ready."

Inez, however, just nodded without a word.

He gave Charles a signaling nod. Charles looked down at a small device in his hand with a button, and proceeded to press on it.

And soon the sound of a bell being rung echoed across the room!

"The bell has rung!" shouted Sodo. "Pokemon… **BATTLE**!"

On the cue, Kay and Inez threw their respective Pokeballs to the ground!

"Go, Teppo!" Kay cried out.

"Let's go, Blaze!" cried out Inez at the same time.

As the Pokeballs hit the floor, they quickly snapped open and out of the bursts of light came out Teppo, Kay's Pignite, and Blaze, Inez's Combusken! Most of the audience started to cheer as both Pokemon went into their respective fighting stance. Teppo had its arms held in front of it while Blaze kept its left leg extended forward, getting ready to move.

Perhaps what surprised some of the people watching though was how neither Pokemon made a move yet.

"Look at that…" said Parker. "Don't Inez normally start off her Battles by ordering Blaze to do a Quick Attack…?"

"Well, that's odd, isn't it?" chuckled Professor Eucalyptus. "It looks like she's not using her usual Battle pattern." But then it hit him. "Wait a minute… Does that mean Inez is actually feeling pressured that she has to be cautious?!"

"What?" Parker laughed. "No way."

That wasn't exactly far from the truth, Inez thought to herself. There was no way she would start the Battle in the same way as last time – if anything, Kay might have prepared her Pignite for it. She did find it rather amusing though: these two were the same ones that didn't look like they had any business being involved in Pokemon Battling three months ago. Nonetheless, Inez's goal was set.

She still had a hard time believing it herself, Kay thought. Kay didn't think she would ever go this far for one Pokemon Battle – she initially believed everything would phase out if she had just ignored it. And yet, Inez was standing across from her, engaged in the very sport that Kay wanted to forget. Inez's eyes were sharper than before, and there was no telling what she had planned. Nonetheless, Kay's goal was set.

'I'm going to win this!'

"NOW!"

At the sound of their partners' voices, Teppo and Blaze sprang into action! Both Pokemon dashed towards each other, but it was Teppo who attempted to strike first. It thrust its fist forward, but the Combusken was too quick for that. Sidestepping out of harm's way, Blaze swung one of its scaly legs, aiming a kick right at the Pignite's midsection. But Teppo had returned to putting its arms in front of it and lowered its stance, blocking the attack attempt. Seeing the Pignite not budging from its spot, Blaze jumped backwards, putting a little distance between them again.

Most of the room roared in awe, calling it a great exchange between the two Fire-Types.

"Blaze!" Inez called out. "Try to flank it with a Quick Attack!"

The Combusken let out a mighty cry before it dashed to the side.

"Teppo!" Kay called out. "Push forward!"

The Combusken was about halfway from finishing its dash, but it was caught by surprise when the Pignite suddenly dashed forward to tighten the distance again! Before it knew it, the Pignite was mere inches away!

"…!" That surprised Inez. 'It's a lot faster than before… Pressuring Blaze like that…!'

"Come on, Teppo!" Kay cheered. "Arm Thrust!"

The Pignite did as it was ordered and started throwing arm thrusts at the Combusken. Unfortunately, neither of its attempts came too close to make contact – the Combusken was easily avoiding them despite the close distance!

"W, What…?" It was Kay's turn to be surprised; she knew Blaze was fast, but not that fast!

'So Inez improved on Blaze's speed too,' Dempsey thought, watching the Battle from ring side. 'She knew Kay would command her Pokemon to close in on her this way. Her Combusken's reflexes are as amazing as always, but Inez's intuition is sharper than ever.'

"Double Kick, Blaze!" shouted Inez.

Following its partner's words, the Combusken quickly swung its body to the side, dodging yet another Arm Thrust from Teppo. Using the momentum, Blaze managed to strike Teppo at its side! The fire pig Pokemon let out a pained cry, and as soon as it let its arms up even a bit, Blaze stomped its first kicking foot down, following it with a swing of its other leg! The kick hit Teppo squarely on its chest, sending the other Fire-Type almost flying off its feet!

But Teppo stood its ground, refusing to go down just like that.

"That Pignite sure could take a beating," Professor Eucalyptus commented. "How long did you say it had been training for Pokemon Battles again?"

"Three months," Tessa pointed out. "They only started when they joined."

"What? Only three months' worth of training?"

Kay was aware of that; Inez and Blaze's level were way above their own. For the last three months, Teppo and her knew it was going to be a difficult Battle. "Keep your guard up, Teppo!" Kay exclaimed. "Just keep pushing forward!"

"Hmm…?" That caught the Professor's interest: despite her Pokemon getting hit, the girl was still ordering her Pokemon to push forward? "Doesn't her Pignite know any long-distance moves…? Ember, maybe…?"

But what surprised him more came later. Teppo followed Kay's command, and dashed right at Inez's Combusken – the lack of change in its speed made it look like Blaze's Double Kick had absolutely no effect on it!

'So that was it…' thought Inez. "They didn't just improve on its speed – they improved on its body too. One Double Kick will definitely not be able to take her Pokemon down…'

"Oy, oy…" Parker whispered, raising an eyebrow. "… don't you think there's something strange going on here?" He turned to look at Tessa. "… why isn't she telling her Pokemon to use Fire Punch?"

"…!" The Professor turned his sights to the two whispering next to him. 'That Pignite knows Fire Punch?! That quickly…?! Who in the world… are those two…?'

"Arm Thrust again, Teppo!" shouted Kay. "But be careful…!"

"NITE…!"

The Pignite continued its relentless dash at the Combusken. No matter how many times the fighting bird tried to step away, the fighting pig would be inches away from it in mere seconds, thrusting its arms at it once more – though to no avail again. After dodging and parrying the punches a little more though, the Combusken finally jumped backwards, and once again Teppo charged at it. Unfortunately…

"Now, Blaze!" shouted Inez.

Kay's eyes snapped open in surprise, and so did many others' – Inez's Combusken was purposely luring Teppo for one particular move: a move all of them were more than familiar with now.

'The Counter…!' the word exploded in Kay's head.

The Combusken was quick to act. As Teppo closed their distance again for another Arm Thrust, the fighting bird was already anticipating it and moved to the side to dodge it, and the leg behind it was already swinging right at its target! Teppo's eyes snapped open, spotting the incoming kick surrounded by light.

WHAM!

Inez smirked. 'Got it…' But suddenly her expression changed, her eyes snapping open in surprise this time. 'What…?!'

To her surprise and everyone else's, Teppo was still standing! Not only that, but it had its forehead planted right across the Combusken's shin!

Dempsey smiled. 'Yes!' he thought. 'All that training to improve the Pignite's dash is paying off…!'

Inez still couldn't believe it: that Pignite purposely moved forward and stopped Blaze's Counter kick from reaching full swing! It halved the damage! Then she saw the look in the Pignite's eyes: it's going to attack!

"NOW, Teppo!" shouted Kay. "Use Fire Punch!"

It happened almost too quickly. With Teppo's head still pressing against Blaze's leg, its right fist emitted a fiery, orange glow. It twisted its body, tightening its left arm against its chest to allow more of its back to go behind the extending fist. The Pignite gritted its teeth and tightened its fist, and the fireball around its hand started glowing brighter and brighter!

"**PIIIIIGNIIIIIIIITEEEEE**…!"

**BASHHHHHHHHH!**

Teppo's fist slammed right into Blaze's face, and the harsh sound it made echoed across the silenced room!

The Fire Punch exploded!

And it knocked the mighty Combusken off its feet and onto its back!

Blaze went down!

* * *

**FazzEagle: **The rematch has finally begun! But it's not over yet! In the next chapter, we'll see more just how big a difference Kay and Inez's skills as Pokemon Trainers really is. Also, we get to see one of the other recurring characters of this story: Professor Eucalyptus (see what I did there?). He was originally the Pokemon Professor I made for a different Pokemon Trainer character, but I figured putting him in here will remind readers that under all the Pokemon Battles, it's still Pokemon at its core - so expect to see him doing some... Pokemon... Professor... thingy. Also, Tessa acts like a big sister figure to Kay and Inez, but not much has been revealed yet for Parker - we'll see and learn more about them eventually.

The Fire Punch exploded! Who will finally emerge victorious?

Until next time!

And please a review to tell me what you think!


	10. Difference in Level!

**Chapter 10 – "Difference in Level!"**

"**PIIIIIGNIIIIIIIITEEEEE**…!"

**BASHHHHHHHHH!**

Teppo's fist slammed hard into Blaze's face, and the harsh sound echoed across the silenced room!

The Fire Punch had exploded!

And it knocked the mighty Combusken off its feet and onto its back!

Blaze went down!

And suddenly the entire room was filled with cheering roars!

Sodo, acting as the referee, soon started counting out Blaze. "One…! Two…!"

Charlotte, however, continued to look at her daughter's fallen Combusken with disbelief – she couldn't remember the last time she had seen it go down that way. Then her sights switched towards Kay and Teppo, who strangely looked just as surprised as the others. 'So they actually did it…' thought Charlotte. 'They actually faced the Counter head-on like they said they would… But to pull off something as risky as that…'

"Three…!"

Dempsey also looked on into the Battle Ring. 'When the Kid told me she wanted her Pokemon to face the Counter head-on, I honestly thought she was underestimating it…' recalled Dempsey. '… but she knew very well the risk behind such straightforward strategy. And yet she and her Pokemon trained hard for this. That was not luck; that was the result of three months' worth of training!'

"Four…! Five…!"

Dempsey then looked towards Inez. 'So what will you do now, Inez…? That one knockdown not only hurt your Pokemon, but most possibly your pride as a future Pokemon Trainer.' "Hm…?"

"Six-… oh?"

Blaze finally started to move, and it slowly pushed itself back onto its feet – though judging from its wincing expression, the damage was big. Its arms hung downward for a moment, but the fire bird Pokemon quickly raised them to once again get itself into proper fighting stance. Sodo stopped his count and then cross-swung his arm in front of him.

"Continue…!" shouted Sodo, officially continuing the Pokemon Battle.

However, Kay and Teppo were still staring at Blaze, looking on in disbelief that it was still able to stand up like that.

"Kid!" Dempsey called out. "What are you doing! The Battle was continued and her Combusken's weakened – now's your chance…!"

"R, Right…!" flustered the girl. "Teppo, use Tackle!"

"Pignite…!" Teppo cried out.

The Pignite dashed into a run, aiming itself right at its opponent. Teppo twisted its body once it had closed in enough, attempting to ram one side of its shoulders into Blaze. There was power behind the move, but unfortunately… Blaze sidestepped in the nick of time!

Teppo was left hitting nothing but air and ran past Blaze by a few feet. Stamping its feet into the ground, Teppo quickly tried to return facing Blaze's general direction, only to find the Combusken already dashing right at it!

*Ding!*

But their four minutes were up and the sound of the bell fortunately halted the fighting fire bird, and in the nick of time too – it had apparently already swung its leg at Teppo and came so close to knocking the fire pig's head right off!

The two dual Fighting and Fire-Types glowered at each other, and still did as Blaze slowly pulled back its leg. Their eyes only left each other as the fire bird Pokemon walked past Teppo, returning to Inez and Charlotte's side. After watching the Combusken walk away, the Pignite would do the same and return to Kay and Leader Dempsey.

"That was great, Teppo!" praised Kay, giving the Pokemon a light hug at ring side. "If you actually keep that up, we might actually-"

"Don't celebrate too soon, Kid." Leader Dempsey's words turned their attention to him. "Though your Pignite managed to knock Inez's Combusken down, the fact of the matter is that Blaze is still standing. One minute of rest can do wonders for a Pokemon's recovery. You two should watch out in the second round – there's no telling right now what Inez and Blaze would do; they're going to look to avenge for that knockdown."

Kay and Teppo gulped, but nodded their heads lightly.

Meanwhile, Inez and Charlotte were looking over Blaze, especially around its head. "Seems like it didn't get any cuts or wounds from that Fire Punch…" said Charlotte. "… but there's some swelling. Use the Potion Spray."

Inez nodded and held out what looked like a spray bottle. "This is going to hurt a bit," she warned.

Inez then started to spray the bottle at Blaze's face, who winced lightly.

"Just as I thought," said Charlotte, shifting her eyes to the side. "Leader Dempsey's training should never be underestimated. Looks like you'll have to take this second round a little more seriously, Inez."

Inez nodded firmly. "Yes, don't worry about it." Once she made sure she sprayed the bruise properly, Inez brushed her hand gently across it before standing up, turning to face the Battle Ring once more. "… I'll show those two just how big a difference our level of Pokemon Battling really is."

Combusken nodded and tightened its fist in anticipation.

"Alright, break is over!" Sodo shouted. "Get your Pokemon back into the Battle Ring!"

Teppo and Blaze eventually returned to standing across from each other on one end of the floor's Pokeball Pattern. Kay and Inez went back to standing where they were, with their respective supporters Dempsey and Charlotte not far from them. Once both Pokemon's eyes met, Sodo cross-swung his arms again.

"Battle…!"

"Alright, Teppo!" Kay shouted. "Get ready…!"

Both Kay and Pignite expected the Combusken to advance forward, but to their surprise the Combusken merely stood there and crossed its arms in front of it, instead opting for a defensive stance.

"It's not attacking…?" muttered Kay.

"Don't just have your Pokemon stand there!" said Dempsey. "It's still trying to recover from the previous round! Keep applying pressure on it!"

"R, Right…! Teppo, use Tackle!"

The Pignite let out a cry and quickly charged at the defending Pokemon. But like in the previous round, the Combusken moved out of the way in the nick of time – though apparently still refusing to attack. Kay then cried out for Teppo to use Arm Thrust against it, and again did the Combusken start to weave its body left and right, avoiding each attack attempt with ease – though it continued to keep its arms in front of it to defend its head.

'So that's it…' thought Kay. 'Inez is trying to avoid Teppo from getting another opening on its head…' "Teppo!" Kay called out. "Try to break through its guard with Fire Punch…!"

The Pignite's fist started to glow orange once more. After tightening its fist as much as it could, the fire pig Pokemon finally threw its fist forward… but the Combusken anticipated it and moved sideways, allowing the Fire Punch to only graze it!

"Counter…!" Inez cried out.

And the Combusken obeyed, and soon swung its mighty leg towards Teppo once more. Repeating the events from last time, however, Teppo dashed forward, stopping the fire bird's leg from coming full swing!

"Alright…!" exclaimed Kay. "Use Fire Punch again-"

But the Combusken suddenly snapped its beak open to let out a breath of fire!

"…!?"

The fire hit Teppo directly in the face, causing the Pokemon to take a step back. But the Combusken did not stop there: it quickly dashed forward to kick the Pignite right across its side, and then followed with another kick once it spun itself around! The Pignite was sent flying off its feet, but the fire pig Pokemon was able to stay on its feet upon landing.

Kay, however, felt something was off there, and turned her sights momentarily at Inez. 'What's going on here…?' thought Kay. 'Why isn't she…?' But she had to remain focused. Looking back at Teppo, she cried out to it: "Teppo, be careful!" But then she saw the Combusken already charging right back at it. "Defend!"

"Blaze, use Quick Attack!" Inez shouted.

The Combusken doubled its speed, but just when it looked like it was going to hit Teppo from the front… it suddenly changed course to the side! Before either Kay or Teppo knew it, the Combusken nailed a kick right at Teppo's exposed side!

'What's going on here...!' thought Kay, feeling a sweat dripping down her cheek. 'I… I don't understand…!'

Dempsey watched on with narrowed eyes. 'So those two are finally giving it everything they've got…' he thought to himself. 'You've finally accepted their strength, Inez... but unfortunately for the Kid and her Pignite…' He looked towards the fire pig Pokemon, who appeared to be struggling from defending against the barrage of Blaze's kicks. '… that just made this Pokemon Battle completely **one-sided**.'

Finally a kick broke through Teppo's guard! And Blaze took the opening and slammed its foot across Teppo's face.

"T, Teppo…!" Kay gasped. "Hold on…!"

Finally, Inez spoke up again: "Blaze, use Double Kick…!"

Teppo tried to return its guard, but the kicks to its side slowed it down – the first kick of the move nailed Teppo right across his head! The Pignite's head flew sideways, but the Combusken dashed in the same direction. It was getting ready for the second kick! Kay's eyes widened.

"Teppo…!"

And the kick came swinging…!

"…!" Both Kay and Inez were surprised suddenly.

But Teppo ducked its head just in time! Kay and Teppo saw an opening!

"Fire Punch, Teppo…!"

The fire pig Pokemon clutched its fist and aimed right at the Combusken's head. Its fiery fist started to glow brighter and brighter, and Teppo gritted its teeth as it came swinging full-powered.

"**PIIIIIIIIGNIIIIIITEEEE**….!"

Charlotte shared her daughter's surprise. 'Despite being hit so many times,' she thought. 'That Pignite is still able to throw a punch with so much power. What resiliency…!'

Teppo's fist closed in on Blaze!

'… but… unfortunately that just won't be enough.'

Blaze leaned its head to the side, letting the Fire Punch only grazing its cheek…

"Blaze," said Inez calmly. "Counter."

This time, however, the Combusken did not attempt a kick, but instead its right fist was emitting the glow! Teppo couldn't react fast enough, and Blaze drove its fist right into its face with sickening strength!

**BASSSHHHH**!

And the fire bird was not done there; it followed through with the punch until it was literally forcing the Pignite's body to bend backwards, and the punch slammed the powerhouse Pokemon's head right onto the hard floor! And once again the room fell silent, and Kay watched as her Pokemon's head and body bounced hard against the floor… before lying flat on its back.

Kay… was shaken.

"DOWN…!" shouted Sodo, stepping in between the two Pokemon.

'Their difference in level is now painfully obvious,' thought Dempsey. 'The Kid and her Pignite only started Pokemon Battling three months ago… and they trained excessively in these last three months. They showed incredible skill and synchronization despite being so new at the sport. However…' His eyes drifted towards the Combusken, who was standing tall over Teppo. '… Inez and Blaze had been Pokemon Battling for years.'

'How did this happen…?' thought Kay with worry. 'When Blaze shot fire out of its mouth… When it changed direction during a Quick Attack… All those kicks… and not once…! Not once did Inez say anything…!'

Professor Eucalyptus smiled. 'This is exactly the kind of bond a Trainer and their Pokemon developed from years of training together," he thought. 'There will be times when the Pokemon will not need to wait for its Trainer's commands, and instead attack on its own by what it had learned through experience. In Blaze's case: years of it.'

"One…!" Sodo started to counter. "Two…! Three…!"

'And eventually the Trainer will learn to trust on their Pokemon's own judgment as they do theirs, creating synchronized teamwork that makes their Pokemon Battles less predictable. There is no mistaking it: Inez and Blaze… truly shares a** bond that needs no words**.'

Inez looked towards Blaze, giving it a little smile before nodding to it. Her sights then turned towards Teppo. 'This fight was harder than I first imagined…' thought Inez. 'Kay Planer… You've improved so much in these last three months. I take back what I've said to you that time: you two are definitely some of the strongest people I've come to know. But unfortunately it won't be enough, not this time… But still, it was a great fight.'

"W, Wake up, Teppo…!"

Kay's voice snapped Inez out of her thoughts. "What…?"

"Teppo, wake up…!" Kay cried out. "You can't just lose here…! We've trained so much…. So wake up, Teppo…!"

"Five…!" Sodo continued. "Six…!"

'It's no use,' Dempsey thought. 'The damage is too great… It was completely dominated in the second round. But I understand your feelings, Kid.' He looked towards her. 'I am sure that in the future, you two will become that much stronger. It's good enough that…' He turned his sights towards Inez, but saw something unexpected. "What…?"

Inez looked shocked… Her eyes were wide and her whole body turned stiff. Even Sodo, who was counting the whole time, suddenly fell silent. Dempsey's eyes eventually fell on Blaze, who to his surprise was actually stepping backwards almost in disbelief. Then, that was when Dempsey finally saw it, a sight that took his and everyone else's breath away:

Teppo was slowly getting up.

Its body and face was definitely bruised all over, and anyone could see the swelling around one of its eyes.

… but it was slowly getting up.

"P, Pii….!" The Pokemon grunted, gritting its teeth. "Pig…nite…!"

Kay looked just as surprised. "Teppo…"

'Impossible…' thought Inez, looking on at the Pignite in disbelief. 'There's no way it could still stand up from all that damage…' Then she saw the Pignite looking around, its ears twitching every now and then. 'It can't be… It…'

'… it heard Kay's voice.' Professor Eucalyptus couldn't believe it either – he himself was sure that knockdown was enough to keep the Pignite down to the count of ten. 'That's some loyalty it has for that girl…'

And then the sound of the bell echoed across the room.

"Round two is over!" exclaimed Sodo. "Get back to your corners!" But he couldn't keep his eyes from peeking towards Teppo. 'I was so ready to call an end to the match and yet those two… Heh. Well done, Kid.'

"Teppo…!" Kay quickly ran into the Battle Ring as soon as the second round came to an end. "Are you alright…!" She held up her Pokemon just in case it couldn't walk on its own. But as soon as she touched it, she felt its body warmer than usual, and puffs of black some blew out of its nose every now and then. "… I'm sorry, Teppo; we've trained so much and yet you still got hurt this bad…"

However, the Pignite was caught by surprise when it felt itself lifted off the ground. It turned its head, only to see that it was Kay! She could have called it back into its Pokeball and yet…

"Don't worry, Teppo…!" she assured. "I've got you."

The Pokemon could only mutter a single "Pignite" while it looked at the girl through one swollen eye.

"Quickly, Kid!" Dempsey called out. "Bring your Pignite over here!"

"Y, Yes, sir…!"

Once the Pignite was brought to Dempsey's side, he looked it over – there were definitely obvious signs of bruises here and there, especially around the body. But he could tell from the look in its eyes: it still had fighting spirit left in it.

'By every right it should have stayed down when it could…' thought Dempsey. '… but it's standing up mostly through will now.' "Kid," he called out. "What do you think? You're its Trainer so you'll make the call: does it continue, or should we stop here?"

Kay didn't have an answer right away, but she did take a long look at her Pokemon. Their eyes met and neither of them said anything to each other. But then Kay saw it clutching its fist with what strength it had left, to which Kay nodded to.

"We'll continue," were her only words.

Dempsey tried to question it, but there was something about the two that he didn't understand. Did they have a plan? He scoffed before handing her a Potion Spray. "Here," said Leader Dempsey. "Use this and spray it over its bruises. It won't completely heal them, but that should be enough to get a quarter of its body strength back. Hurry, time is almost up."

Meanwhile, with Inez and Blaze…

"Inez?" Charlotte called out – perhaps for the third time. "Inez, are you listening to me?"

Inez snapped back into reality, quickly looking up at her mother. "Oh, sorry… Don't worry about it; this doesn't change anything." She slowly let go of Blaze's hand once she made sure it was still alright. "… what am I supposed to do?"

That question caught Charlotte off-guard.

"Should I just keep going the same way we did in the second round…? Ugh, this is troublesome…"

Charlotte simply stared down at her daughter. She could not remember the last time Inez acted so… indecisive. She did not blame Inez for it though. 'Anyone would be confused after what just happened…' thought Charlotte. 'She gave it everything and yet it was still standing. She's probably thinking 'what else can I do' right now. Kay Planer… She's scarier than any of us realized.'

*Ding!*

"Break is over!" Sodo shouted out. "Trainers, back to your corners! Pokemon, get back inside the Battle Ring!"

Parker and Tessa continued to look on. "This was supposed to be just a simple Pokemon Battle, right…?" Parker whined. "This almost looks like something you'd see in tournaments…! Those two are really at it."

Professor Eucalyptus chuckled. "It's not because they chose to, you know," he said. "… it's because they have to."

Unfortunately, neither Tessa nor Parker understood what he meant by that.

Both Pokemon finally return inside the Battle Ring, with Teppo already back with its guard up, and Blaze looking as cautious as ever.

'I don't know why…' thought Kay as she waited anxiously. '… but Teppo's eyes that time… It's like he was trying to tell me he still had something he could do. I'm going to trust you on that… Teppo!'

And Sodo cross-swung his arms again. "Battle…!"

And on cue, both the Pignite and the Combusken charged at each other! The fire bird tried to swing a kick early on, but Teppo managed to block it. By Kay's command, Teppo struck back with some Arm Thrusts, but while neither of them hit, a couple actually started grazing the Combusken.

Both Kay and Inez were starting to look restless.

"Teppo!" Kay cried out. "Use Fire Punch…!"

"Blaze!" cried out Inez after. "Counter it…!"

Teppo's fist flashed fiery-orange; Blaze's leg flashed bright white. All eyes watched as both Pokemon raced to connect their own move first.

But Blaze managed to catch on something: Teppo changed the direction of its punch! Instead of coming from the front as usual, the fire pig lowered its body and… started coming with the Fire Punch from **below**!

"**PIIIIGNIIIIIIIIITE**….!"

And Blaze leaned backwards, unfortunately avoiding a direct hit to the face!

"….!"

Gasps were heard across the room.

'Uppercut…!' Dempsey thought, his eyes widening. "Even with its body that damaged it can still throw something like that?!'

But it missed nonetheless.

And Teppo looked like it just used up every bit of its energy.

"Alright, Blaze!" Inez exclaimed. "Let's finish this…!"

The Combusken advanced on Teppo, and there was nothing the Pignite could do about it. Blaze readied itself to deliver the final blow!

But that blow never came.

The Combusken suddenly moved past its opponent and much to everyone's surprise:

… the fire bird fell onto its hands and knees.

Inez looked positively bewildered. "... what…?"

"Blaze…. went down…?" Even Kay could not believe it. What just happened?

"Down…!" exclaimed Sodo, quickly moving to stand between the two Fire-Types. "One…! Two…!"

"Did he just slip…?" wondered Inez.

"Three…!"

"Alright, alright…" groaned Inez. "I get it already; Blaze, get back up."

….

"… Blaze…?"

But the Combusken was still on its knees!

"Four…! Five…!" Sodo continued.

"W, Wait a minute…!" Inez cried out. "Blaze, what are you doing?! Get up…!"

Blaze heard her and it was definitely trying… but its own legs wouldn't listen to it! Its knees buckled before its entire legs started trembling. Eventually it even tried to push itself back to stand up, but instead it fell right back onto its backside. It was as if its whole body went completely numb.

'That Fire Punch…!' Leader Dempsey realized. 'It didn't miss – it actually connected…!' He recalled how close the Fire Punch came to exploding into Blaze's face; it may not have hit the fire bird squarely in the face, but it must have connected with its lower beak! 'A punch with that much power striking that part of the head would send shocks into the brain...!'

"Blaze…!" Inez continued to call out. "Hurry…!"

But the referee would continue to count. "Six…! Seven…!"

"Please wait a bit…! Blaze, you have to get up…!"

The Combusken tightened its beak, and with every strength left in it, pushed its entire body upwards…!

"COMBUS…KENNN….!"

"… TEN…!"

*Ding! Ding! Ding!*

It was too late; the fire bird Pokemon only stood on one knee by the tenth count.

"…!" Charles, who was completely awestruck, quickly snapped back into reality. "T-The Battle is over! The winner is… Kay Planer…!"

"WHOAAA..!"

And the entire room exploded into cheers!

"They've actually won…" muttered Tessa. "That's so unreal…"

"Teppo…!" Kay didn't stand by any longer and quickly ran into the Battle Ring. "Teppo…!" And she quickly wrapped her arms around her Pokemon from behind. "We did it…! We did it, Teppo…!"

"Nite…!" The Pignite shared her joy. "Pignite…! Pignite…!"

Soon a bright red light enveloped the kneeling Combusken, directing Kay and Teppo's attention back to its owner, Inez. As soon as the Combusken returned to its Pokeball, Inez wasted no time and turned to walk away from the Battle Ring.

"Inez…!" Kay called out, moving to chase after her. "Wai—"

But Charlotte stood in her way, extending her arm to block Kay from running any further. At first Kay was worried from the stern look the woman was giving her, but she was surprised when it changed into a smile.

"Congratulations, Kay Planer," said Charlotte. She then rested her hand on the girl's shoulders silently assuring her that she was not upset. "You've fought like a true Pokemon Trainer. Go; your Pokemon's waiting for you." And just like that, Charlotte turned away as well, walking at the direction of her daughter.

"Inez…"

"Hey there…!" Suddenly Tessa came jumping from behind, quickly wrapping her arms around Kay. "You've actually won…! I'm so proud of you…!"

"T, Tessa…!" whined Kay, her cheeks flushing.

And soon Parker would join in, rubbing his knuckles on her head. "You sure got us all fired up, Kid!" he said. "Where do you come off suddenly looking so cool, huh?!"

"P, Please stop it, you two…!"

As the other two celebrated Kay's victory, Sodo undid his bowtie, but turned his sights to Professor Eucalyptus among the audience. The young man simply gave him a grin, and it only took the Pokemon Professor a second before he would smile in return. No words needed to be said, and Eucalyptus simply turned to walk back upstairs.

Dempsey simply looked on as everyone else celebrated Kay and Teppo's first victory. 'There's no denying that there was a huge difference in skill between those two,' he thought to himself. 'But it seems I was too quick to judge; though they have only started Pokemon Battling, that Kid and her Pokemon already shares a bond equal to that of Inez and Blaze's. Otherwise… her Pokemon would never have reacted to her voice earlier.'

Teppo, however, sat down, finally giving into its exhaustion, but soon saw Kay kneeling down in front of it. "Congratulations, Teppo." That was all Kay said with a smile before she took out its Pokeball.

The Pignite beamed, and gladly got recalled back into it.

Inez, however, was in one of the gym's washroom… soaking her head with water and letting the faucet on the whole time. Her mother stood by, and soon gently rested her hand on her daughter's head.

"You've done well," assured her mother. "You've done well, Inez."

Inez gritted her teeth and tightened her fists, allowing the water to wash off the look - and tears - of defeat…

* * *

"Professor…!" one of the Pokemon scientists there cried out. "Where have you been? You were supposed to watch an official Pokemon Battle at the stadium today…!"

Professor Eucalyptus finally returned to the Pokemon Lab in the city, and despite what the young scientist said, he simply sat on his chair and propped his feet on his personal desk. "Oh, I've sent someone else to cover for me," he said with a smile. "Besides… I was able to watch an epic fight."

He held out his high-tech mobile phone, where the screen showed a picture of when Teppo attempted the Fire Punch uppercut on Blaze.

'Kay Planer and Teppo, huh….?'

* * *

Back at the Planer Farm that afternoon, Thomas was walking along the hallway when he noticed Kay's door still open. He was waiting for his daughter to come out and help out around the farm again, but to his surprise: Kay and Teppo had fallen asleep on the floor, sprawled about and tired out. The very sight brought a smile to his face. Slowly he pulled a blanket over the two and closed the curtains.

"Get a good rest, you two," he said. "And congratulations."

With that, he switched off the lights, gently closing the door behind him.

* * *

**FazzEagle: **And that concludes Kay and Inez's rematch! Hope you all enjoyed reading it, because it's a general idea of how the Pokemon Battles will play out in this story. Inez and Blaze were definitely the most skilled between the two teams but in the end it was Kay and Teppo's bond and trust that helped bring them to a surprising victory. How will Inez recover from this loss, and what awaits Kay in the near future? And what about Professor Eucalyptus - what role will he play now that he has shown interest in Kay and Teppo? Tune in to find out in the next chapter!

Next one, however, we will be taking a little break from the Pokemon Battling :)

Please leave a review to tell me what you all think about the chapter!


	11. Knowledge is Power!

**Chapter 11 – "Knowledge is Power!"**

And with its last ounce of strength, Teppo finally unleashed the Fire Punch!

The punch connected! And Blaze went down!

"TEN…!" shouted Sodo, declaring the end of the Pokemon Battle.

Kay and Teppo beamed; everyone around Kay and Teppo cheered, while Leader Dempsey looked on from ring side, giving the two an approving nod. As Charles declared her and Teppo as the winners, the two of them turned their attention back to the ring, where Inez and Blaze had approached them. Once they stood face-to-face, the entire room fell slowly silent.

"That was an amazing Pokemon Battle, Kay Planer," said Inez, flashing a rare smile. "You have my respect…" Then Inez held out her hand. "… and I am proud to call you a 'friend'!"

"Inez…" That brought Kay's biggest smile yet. "Same here..!" And she soon extended her own hand, happily accepting Inez's. However, something seemed… off. 'Her hand is warm…' Kay thought, looking down at their handgrip. '… and… wet…?"

* * *

Kay woke up to find her hand inside a sleeping Teppo's mouth.

Groaning, she slowly pulled her hand out and rubbed the drool off on her pajamas. Kay then sat up, using her other hand to rub the sleep off her eyes, while her hair was pointing at several directions. She looked around her, still trying to adjust herself to waking up and that the dream of Inez calling her a 'friend' was nothing more than what it was: a dream.

But she did start to recall the day before – THAT wasn't a dream. She and Teppo battled Inez and Blaze, and they actually won! With that thought, Kay picked up her pillow and hugged it tightly against her chest. 'I can't believe we actually won…!' thought the suddenly excited girl. 'Even more, all that training actually paid off…!' She loosened her grip. '… I wonder if Inez is alright though…? We didn't get to talk again after that…'

But then Kay recalled the part of her dream where Inez offered her that handshake, and the mere thought of it caused Kay to drop back down on her bed roll, pressing the pillow against her face so she could squeal as loudly as she wanted to into it.

Teppo woke up moments later, eyeing bewilderingly at the sight.

* * *

"This is Dempsey," said Leader as he held the phone against his ear. "You wanted a talk with me about yesterday, Professor?"

Back at the Pokemon Gym, Leader Dempsey and the rest continued with their daily routine as usual, with the exception of Kay, who had to attend school, and Inez, who had not been seen or heard from since the Pokemon Battle the day before. Sodo, Tessa and Parker were downstairs, with Charles supervising them as usual. Leader Dempsey, of course, was in his office.

"Ah-ha, yes!" a familiar voice exclaimed from the other side. "I was eagerly waiting for your call, Leader Dempsey!" His voice was so loud that Leader Dempsey had to move the phone away from his ear that time. "Thanks to all of you yesterday, I was able to see a fantastic match! As always, Inez showed great promise – it was a shame that she lost though."

On the other side of the line, Professor Eucalyptus sat at his own desk, where he had propped his legs on it. One hand held on his phone, while the other held yesterday's picture of Teppo and Blaze doing battle. "It's ironic though…" he continued. "… that it was her Combusken's reflexes that caused it to lose."

"Are you saying the results would have been different if Blaze had not moved away?"

That got a grin on the Professor's face. "Who knows," he said. "Now, about that other girl… 'Kay Planer', was it? You make sure to look after that kid and her Pignite, okay? 'cause she just made a fan out of me. I'm sure that with more training, those two are going to go far."

"Hmph," scoffed Dempsey. "From what I was seeing those two made so many careless mistakes; that Pignite even threw a punch it never practiced on to begin with. If you ask me, they have a long way to go before becoming better Pokemon Trainers."

"Oh ho…? 'Better'? Last I've heard that girl doesn't even have her Pokemon Trainer License yet."

Dempsey went quiet for a moment. "… hmph, you've got me. The Pokemon Trainer License Test… is only a week from now after all."

"Ha ha…! Looking forward to it! Now before I hang up, I'd like to ask you for a little favor. Is Kay there yet?"

"Hm…? No, she's attending school, but she normally comes by after. What is it do you want?"

"Ah, perhaps maybe you could give me her mobile phone number? There's something I'd like to discuss with her about."

"…" Again, Dempsey went quiet.

"… what? Come on, you're not saying you don't trust me, do you?"

"No, it's not that…" Dempsey let out a sigh, bringing his fingers up to rub his temple. "That girl… doesn't have one."

"… Seriously…?"

* * *

Kay was in her classroom, currently seated as she and the rest of her class listened as their teacher went on about the history of their country. However, Kay's eyes kept shifting back and forth from her book to the clock, waiting impatiently for dismissal time. Speaking of her book, however… Though she was holding up her textbook, what she was actually reading was a magazine she hid inside it. Of course, the magazine was on Pokemon Battling.

'Wow… These are some great pictures,' thought Kay. 'I've never heard of the names here but it sounded like a lot of people enjoyed their Pokemon Battles. Hm…?' Then her eyes caught sight of a familiar face in the next page, where there was an article featured on an interview with one particular Pokemon Trainer: … Sodo!? "Ehhhhhh…!?"

She was so startled that she stood up from her seat, and her little outburst in turn startled everyone else.

The teacher blinked. "W, What's wrong, Planer…?" he asked. "Is it that surprising?"

"Y, Yes, it is-…" Unfortunately her grip on her books loosened… but the book that fell off was her History textbook, revealing the magazine underneath! "Ah…"

Everyone in the classroom started laughing, with the teacher obviously not as amused. "What are you reading during my class…!?"

"S, Sorry…!"

Kay groaned as she walked out of the school, and as usual she was on her own – she chose to let Teppo rest at home for the day. She got scolded by the teacher and her magazine was confiscated, but she was more disappointed on not having had the chance to read that article on Sodo. She walked past the front gate, only to be greeted by a familiar voice.

"Hiyo~!" It was Tessa! "I was waiting on ya, Kay."

"T, Tessa…!" Kay gasped. "What are you doing at my school?" But her question only got her a quick flick on the head. "Ow... What was that for, Tessa?"

"You're the one who doesn't have a mobile phone," Tessa pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. "Leader Dempsey had to send me to give you a message before you decide to head to the Gym. Seriously, something like this is more of Parker's thing… Anyways." She shrugged and pocketed out a piece of paper. "Apparently Professor Eucalyptus wants to see you at his Pokemon Lab today. Here are the directions."

"Professor Euca- Eh? That's the famous Pokemon Professor…! The one who's always on TV or in newspapers…! W, Why would someone like that want to see me?"

"Hey, quiet down… You're embarrassing me." Tessa looked around, noticing some of the passing students looking at their direction. "Heck if I know… Maybe it's something to do with that Pokemon Battle with Inez yesterday."

"Yesterday? But… how would he know about that….?"

That silenced Tessa. Until…

"Um… Kay?" she asked, sweat-dropping. "You… do realize that he was there with the rest of us yesterday, right…?"

"What…? Since when?"

Tessa fell over! 'Was she so focused in her Pokemon Battle that she didn't realize someone like Professor Eucalyptus around…?' thought Tessa. 'Guess I shouldn't be surprised… but how the heck do you MISS someone like that..?!' Tessa sighed and gave Kay a little smile. "Well, never mind… Anyways, he wants to see you at the Pokemon Lab. Must be something important. He's a busy man so maybe you should go and see him as soon as possible."

Kay then looked over the directions Tessa just gave her, before nodding quietly.

* * *

It didn't take her long to arrive at the Pokemon Lab from her school – it was probably the reason Leader Dempsey didn't just wait to give her the message himself at the Gym. The Pokemon Lab was located at the heart of the city, and not very often did Kay get the chance to step foot there. The Lab itself stood out among the rest of the buildings there however, being that it was mostly shaped like a giant Pokeball. Kay stepped in front of the door, which automatically slid open for her entry.

The place was a lot bigger than she imagined, and there were a lot more people despite it just being on the ground floor. She approached the counter, where a lady standing behind it was more than happy to greet her.

"Hello there," the woman said, giving a polite bow of her head. "Are you here for the tour?"

"Tour…?" Kay blinked and then shook her head. "No, I… I was told that Professor Eucalyptus wanted to see me?"

"The Professor? Oh! Yes, he mentioned something about that. Let's see…" She looked over a small note on her desk. "Are you… 'Kay Planer'?" Of course, Kay nodded to that. "Oh, wow… I didn't expect you were this young. Give me a moment, please." The receptionist picked up a phone after pressing a button. After a few seconds… "Ah, hello? Professor Eucalyptus, Kay Planer is here to see you. Alright, will do." She looked back at Kay and motioned her hand to what looked like a camera lens on the desk. "Could you please look over here for a bit?"

Kay blinked at it. "What is it…?"

"Oh, it's just a camera. He just wants to confirm that it's you is all. Can't be too careful these days, you know?" She waited for Kay to look directly at the camera before turning her attention back to the phone. "Is that Kay Planer, sir? Understood; I'll send her right up." She hung up on the phone after. "Alright, Professor Eucalyptus will see you now. Just take this pass…" She handed Kay a card. "… and take the elevator to the fourth floor. His office should be straight down the hall to the right."

"Thank you," Kay said, politely bowing her head. "Let's see… The elevator is…"

"To your right."

"O, Oh, thank you again…!" And Kay would bow her head once more before finally leaving for the elevator.

Professor Eucalyptus was typing something in his personal laptop when he heard knocks from his door. "Come in, come in!" he said cheerfully. "I was expecting you!"

Kay Planer slowly pushed open the door, taking a peek inside. Seeing that it was indeed Professor Eucalyptus waiting for her inside, she suddenly felt extremely nervous! "Y, You wanted to s-see me, Professor Eucalyptus…?" she asked, still sticking her head from behind the door. "I, It's me: Kay Planer."

"Yes, yes, I know. Come on and have a seat here! Don't be nervous now!"

Despite that, Kay stepped in walking as stiff as ever… In fact, both her arms and legs were completely straight the whole time that she looked more like how a robot would walk! This caused the Professor to sweat-drop, but Kay eventually sat herself down on the chair in front of his desk.

He cleared his throat before sitting straight himself. "Alright, let's get down to business, shall we? I saw your battle with Inez yesterday and thought you did amazing for someone so new. Tell me, Planer: do you actually wish to become a Pokemon Trainer?"

"Y, Yes, sir…!" said Kay.

"That's the spirit," he said. "I could see that you've trained your Pignite very well. But let me ask you a question… How much do you know about your Pignite?"

There was that question again, Kay thought. But before she could answer, she was stopped by Professor Eucalyptus, who held up his hand at her.

"… I mean, how much do you know your Pignite AS a Pignite?"

Kay blinked. "Um… I… I don't… really understand the question."

The Professor chuckled at that. "I can tell you and your Pokemon are very close with each other, but I'm not asking if you always know what it's thinking or saying, no. See, Pokemon are majestic creatures… They're full of mysteries – mysteries we may have yet to completely understand. They're very similar to us humans in some ways, but very different in others. Discovering these secrets dates back to centuries ago, and in most, it's related to Pokemon Battling in one way or another. That's why the sport is very popular among Pokemon lovers."

Kay didn't know that in all honesty.

"Did Leader Dempsey tell you that Pokemon Battling can improve a Trainer's bond with their Pokemon?"

"Y, Yes, sir! Because… Trainers and Pokemon train together, right?"

The Professor chuckled. "That's one thing, but there are other ways too." He started typing something on the screen. "One of them is by understanding and learning what your Pokemon is. Is your Pignite here by the way?"

"No… Teppo's resting at home now."

"Ah, never mind then. Tell me though… Did you know that your Pignite could get faster… just by eating?"

"What?"

"Ha, that's the reaction I expected – Leader Dempsey told me how your Pokemon only evolved three months ago. You see… A Pignite is a dual Fire and Fighting-Type, and is referred to as the 'fire pig' Pokemon. Despite its size, the Pokemon can be pretty fast in Battle by making use of the fire in its stomach."

"Teppo's stomach is on fire?"

"It's… not as a big deal as it would have been for humans, no. Pignite are still Fire-Type Pokemon so something like that isn't surprising. Anyways, the fire in its stomach is what it uses to fuel itself. With the right amount of food, your Pignite would have been able to move faster than it did yesterday. Of course… there's still no way for it to catch up to Inez's Combusken's speed, but knowing things like these can help you as a Pokemon Trainer."

"I… never knew that… Sorry."

"No, no, don't apologize – it's not uncommon for people these days to forget the little things. I just think you have a lot of potential as a Pokemon Trainer and wanted you to know that. You see… two years ago… Inez sat exactly where you're sitting right now." Kay looked surprised at that. "And she didn't know something about her Pokemon either. Of course, knowing something about their Pokemon's anatomy or biology affects people in different ways. Didn't you ever try to look it up on the internet?"

Kay shook her head in guilt. "No… We… don't have internet back at home."

"Ah, that's understandable then… Well, that's one of the reasons why I've brought you here. Ta-da…!" And out from his sleeve, he took out what looked like a handheld device of red and white. At first Kay thought it was a mobile phone, but it wasn't like any that she had seen before. But the lack of surprise in Kay's face told Professor Eucalyptus one thing: "…. You don't know what this even is, do you…?" And then came the expected shake of her head, to which Eucalyptus sighed to. "This is called a 'Pokedex'."

"'Pokedex'…?" Kay asked. "I think I've heard of it before…"

"It's actually widely popular among Pokemon owners, but it's also a very useful device to have as a Pokemon Trainer." He offered her to take it from him, to which she eventually did. "A Pokedex, invented by THE Professor Oak, is a digital encyclopedia for all things Pokemon. To put it simple: it has a lot of info on the different kinds of Pokemon you'll be facing as a Trainer."

"Really? E, Even Inez's Combusken?"

"Well, yes! Though… not specifically Inez's Combusken, but Combusken in general. Just flip it open and press the power button." He waited for her to do so, and watched as the screen lit up. "That's it! Now click on 'List'."

It took Kay a while, but eventually her finger would find it, and in a split of a second a long list of Pokemon names started scrolling into the screen! "W, Wow…!" Kay exclaimed. "There are a lot listed here…!"

"That's right!" the Professor exclaimed, propping his feet on the desk again. "Years back, that Pokedex you're holding would be empty and Trainers were left to discover each Pokemon on their own. Buuuut…. These days you can find information like that on the internet, so recent models of the Pokedex now includes all the existing Pokemon known to man. For convenience. That one you're holding happens to be one of the older models I once worked on – I'd like you to have it."

"W, What?" flustered Kay. "I can't receive something as valuable as this…!"

"Haha, don't worry about it!" The Professor waved his hand. "It's better than just leaving it to gather dust anyway. Besides… I gave Inez one not too long ago too."

"Inez…?" Kay then looked and thought hard over the Pokedex in her hands. If Inez had it, then it must be because she believed it would make her a better Pokemon Trainer. "… alright." Of course, she felt it was appropriate to thank the man first. "Thank you very much…!" Kay exclaimed, bowing her head. "I will make sure to take really good care of it…!"

"I am sure you'll put it to good use. I'll even give you the instructions for it as a bonus! But remember, Kay Planer… Knowledge and strength are two things that can lead to great power – use it **wisely**. Pokemon Battling is just as fun as it is dangerous; don't forget that **we're** not the ones putting our lives on the line for it."

"…" Kay couldn't say anything to that, but she couldn't help but agree as well.

"Now, don't put on such a serious face," chuckled the Professor. "I'm just telling you to be sensitive to your Pokemon and give them the respect and love they deserve. Now if you'll excuse me, there are people I have to meet. Thank you for coming over today by the way!" He stood up and gave the girl a thumb's up. "I'm confident that you and Inez will be great Pokemon Trainers!"

"Thank you, sir!" Kay quickly stood up, and bowed her head as usual. "I, It was a real honor meeting with you…!" It wasn't long before she turned away to head back out of the room, but she kept her new Pokedex close to her chest the whole time.

"What an interesting kid," said the Professor to himself. "Now… All I hope is that she's ready to hear what her victory yesterday had led to."

* * *

At that time, back at the Gym, Charlotte was sitting in front of Dempsey's desk, with the Gym Leader himself sitting behind it. Charlotte looked apologetic, but both Dempsey and Charles looked visibly surprised.

"Inez…?" Charles muttered. "She-….?"

* * *

**FazzEagle: **I had this started a long while ago but I didn't get to finish due to other obligations. But! Here you all go! The Pokedex makes its debut this time to remind us that this is still a story based on Pokemon, but it serves as another hint of depth of the Pokemon Battles here. I think we can all admit that some of us, when we catch new Pokemon, we tend to not read or remember what the Pokedex say about them, and it's true for this story's world too! Kay now has a Pokedex to help her learn about her own Pokemon and the ones she and Teppo will be facing in the near future, but rest assured that other people will do the same about her - though not necessarily with a Pokedex of their own (probably through internet or books?). Next chapter, we find out what happened to Inez! Dun dun dun.

Also, just to clarify one thing: when I use this " symbol, it's definitely spoken dialogue; when I just use this ' symbol, that means it's within their thoughts. No one said anything about them but I just wanted to make sure :) Some people have different ways on how they have their characters convey what they're thinking about.

As always: please leave a review!


	12. Promise to Meet!

**Chapter 12 – "Promise to Meet!"**

Kay looked downwards, towards the Pokedex currently in her hands. She still couldn't believe that THE Professor Eucalyptus gave something so important to her. In fact, she started feeling a little cheeky about it and couldn't help but grin at the thought – though she quickly shook it off her system knowing that it was something she must not take for granted. That, and Inez was also given one – that alone was enough proof for Kay on the Pokedex's significance. She tightened her grip around it and then looked ahead of her.

'Teppo and I are going to work harder from now on!' she thought to herself.

But then suddenly a voice called out to her – a very familiar voice.

"There you are, Plainer…!" Terry called out, pointing at her from behind. "We've been looking for you…!"

Kay quickly turned her head to see her blonde-haired bully, but before she could quickly run off as usual, she suddenly found both Nicky and Vicky blocking the other way! Kay was surrounded!

"Got you this time, Plainer~!" Vicky cheered. "You can't get away now~!"

"Let's see you run away now, you coward…!" said Nicky. "What's the big idea ignoring us this whole time?! You think you're better than us now?!"

Kay stayed silent, but held her Pokedex close to her chest.

"Told you we'd catch you eventually," said Terry. "Ever since you've cut your hair, you've been acting really strangely – even more so than usual!" Terry stepped forward, narrowing the distance between herself and Kay. "You think we'll just let you go easily? This time no one's gonna come to save you – not even that pig of yours is around to help you run away now."

"We heard from some people that you've been jogging these days!" said Vicky with a giggle. "Could it be that you were trying to get rid of some fat in secret? But then… someone else said they saw you walking out of the Pokemon Gym." Kay shifted her eyes towards Vicky at that time. "Are you trying to secretly make your Pokemon stronger so you could fend us off? That's so saaaaad."

Kay lowered her head. "It's…. not like that."

"Then why the heck were you doing at a Pokemon Gym then?" asked Nicky. "What other reason could you-… eh?" Nicky caught sight of the Pokedex! "… hey, wait a minute – what the heck is that you're holding there?"

Kay was quick on the alert, and tightened her hold around the Professor's gift. She backed away slowly, but knew that behind her was nothing more than a wall.

"That doesn't look like a phone… Oh, crap! That's a Pokedex…!"

"A Pokedex?" Terry asked, looking visibly surprised. "How the heck did someone like Plainer get their hands on something like that? You didn't steal that, did you, Plainer?" Terry held out her hand. "Let me take a look at it. Don't be stupid, Plainer – just give it to me."

'It's the same thing all over again…' thought Kay, seeing the three girls slowly advancing on her. 'But I can't let them take the Pokedex away…! If Inez was here, she'd…' In an instant, the worry in Kay's chest disappeared, and she looked up at the three girls wearing a rare stern expression. "… no…!" That one word halted the three girls! "This was given to me for something important… I, I won't let you take it from me…"

The three girls went quiet, and at first Kay thought she finally got out of the danger zone. That was, until…

"What did you just say?!" Terry barked. "How dare you talk to me like that…!"

"Oh, looks like Terry's really mad now~!" said Vicky. "You're gonna get it now, Plainer~!"

"Shouldn't have done that," scoffed Nicky at Kay.

"I, I don't want any trouble," said Kay. "But I really can't give this to you…! It's impor-"

"Shut up already…!"

Terry cried out and swung her hand right at Kay's face! But… something was different this time.

'Eh…?' Kay moved her eyes to look towards Terry's right hand. It was… slower than she remembered. 'Was it always this slow…?' she thought.

And then – much to the three girls' surprise - Kay quickly held out her left, blocking the slap with ease! It didn't even hurt Kay's own hand that much at all! 'Teppo's punches were much faster than this…' thought Kay. Terry attempted to use her other hand this time, but Kay quickly moved her hand to block that one as well. '… and they hurt a lot more too…!'

"W, What the heck…" gasped Nicky. "Y, You think you're cool or something?!"

Nicky tried to join in the fray, but much like earlier Kay saw through it. The girl quickly ducked and dashed past Terry, and then sidestepped quickly from being grabbed by Nicky. Vicky, on the other hand, was simply dashed past by as she was completely caught by surprise. Before either of the three knew it, Kay was already away from the wall and escaped from getting surrounded!

"W, When did Plainer learn to move like that?" Nicky asked, obviously dumbfounded.

Terry gritted her teeth. "W, Well, what are you waiting for then, Plainer…!" she asked. "Aren't you going to fight us for real this time…?!"

But Kay suddenly shot them another stern look, soon exclaiming, "I didn't want to become a Pokemon Trainer to fight anyone…!" Kay's unyielding expression left the three girls speechless, and they didn't even give chase when the girl decided to hurry and leave them behind.

"What… just happened…?" Nicky asked, looking between the other two. "… and did she say she 'Pokemon Trainer'…?"

Vicky blinked. "Did… Plainer actually look kinda cool just now…?"

Terry, on the other hand, was left utterly speechless.

* * *

"Good afternoon…!" greeted Kay eagerly as usual once she stepped into the Pokemon Gym.

Tessa was the first one to spot and greet her. "Oh, hey there, Kay!" she said, stepping towards her. A towel was draped across the back of her neck, and her skin shined from sweat – she must have been training with her Pokemon, Kay thought, which was made more evident from seeing the bottle of water in the former's hand. "So how'd it go with the Prof?"

"Well…" Kay was a little shy about it at first, but eventually she held up the Pokedex. "… he gave me this."

"Whoa, no way…!" gasped Tessa. "He gave you a Pokedex? For free? Can I see it?" Kay didn't think twice on that this time and simply handed the device over. "Whoa… it's real! It's an old model though… I can't believe the Professor gave you one. The only other people from this gym who have this are Inez and-…"

"That's right!" said a familiar voice. The two girls turned their heads, only to of course see Sodo – in all his toothy-grinning glory - now standing not far from them. "When the Professor first offered it to me, I told 'em a genius like me don't need something like that. 'cause no matter what Pokemon I'll be facing, my Pokemon will still reign supreme! **Gyaahahaha**…!"

"Crap, he's gloating again…" groaned Tessa. "It's really hard to argue against him on that though…"

But then Kay recalled seeing an article on him in that magazine she bought. She guessed it wasn't a surprise that Sodo was offered a Pokedex of his own if he actually got interviewed for a magazine. He must really be a genius, Kay thought! "That's amazing, Sodo…!" Kay exclaimed… much to Tessa's and ironically even Sodo's surprise. "If it was me, I would never be able to turn down something like that…!"

Sodo blinked, and his smile turned slightly awkward. "Th… That's right…!" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Me and my Pokemon are in a different league than ordinary Pokemon Trainers…!"

"You were even featured in a magazine…!" Kay continued. "It surprised me at first… but you and your Pokemon must be incredible that the media would actually interview you for it!"

"Uh…" Sodo was not expecting that, and not to mention he saw what he would call 'blinding genuine honesty' in the girl's eyes. "So you've read that, huh? That's right…! To me and my Pokemon, something like that is just everyday life…! Gyahaha…ha…." But suddenly, the usually tough and over-confident Sodo suddenly crouched down and planted his face into his hands, blushing ever furiously! "Stop it already…! Stop looking at me like that…!"

Kay blinked. "Huh..? What… do you mean…?"

Tessa, on the other hand, just sweat-dropped. 'Huh…' she thought. 'An unexpected weakness…?'

"Oh, right…!" Kay quickly turned her attention back to Tessa. "Hey, Tessa, I don't see Inez around… Is she doing her roadwork…?"

"Huh? Hmm, now that you mention it, I haven't seen her at all since yesterday. I think I saw her mother come by the office earlier though…"

*twitch, twitch!*

Sodo's ears twitched, and his expression turned serious. "I wouldn't be surprised…" he said as he slowly stood back up. "… I mean, she DID lose to you of all people after all."

"E, Eh…?" That surprised Kay. "W, What's that supposed to mean…?"

"She and her Pokemon had been training for years," he continued. "And right before the week she was supposed to take her Pokemon Trainer License Test, she was beaten by someone who had only taken up the sport for a few months. Her pride… must have been completely shattered."

Kay gasped. "I, Inez's…?"

"If it was me… I wouldn't be able to live with myself; I'd be too ashamed to show my face in public anymore…! I wouldn't be surprised if Inez… had probably already quit on becoming a Pokemon Trainer." That caused Kay's eyes to widen. "There's no longer any point of her coming to this Gym."

"Inez…" Kay muttered with a tone of guilt. "Because of me, she…?"

Tessa looked sympathetic towards Kay, and suddenly the atmosphere around them turned gloomy. That was, until…

"**OF COURSE I WAS KIDIIIIIIIIIING~**!" Sodo's voice snapped Kay out of her brief depression, only for her to see Sodo mockingly stuck his tongue out at her. "**Gyaaahahaha**…! There's no way Inez would just quit Pokemon Battling from losing to someone like you…! Did you actually believe that?!"

It was Kay's turn to turn furiously red! "D-Don't joke about things like that…!" moaned Kay. "Y, You big dummy Sodo…!"

"Oh no, she's mad~!" Sodo mocked, leaning slightly to the side while still grinning.

'That guy…' thought Tessa. 'What a complete sadist…!'

But then another familiar voice spoke up. "As always this place is as noisy as ever."

It was none other than the girl in question: Inez! She wasn't wearing her track suit today, and it didn't seem like her Combusken was anywhere with her either. Parker was with her though, but the mere sight of Inez alone filled Kay's heart with joy.

"Inez…!" Kay cried out with glee. In fact, after that joke Sodo pulled, Kay was so happy to see Inez actually coming to the Gym that she instinctively moved in to greet the girl with a hug! "I was wondering where you've be—…!" Of course… if it wasn't for Inez stopping the attempt by holding the girl's head back with one hand.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Inez looked slightly irritated – she still wasn't used to Kay's usual eager greetings.

Kay gently withdrew herself, but still smiled to her. "I really thought you left the Pokemon Gym…" said Kay before letting out a sigh of relief. "It was all Sodo's fault for joking like that…"

"… but I am leaving the Pokemon Gym."

Those words surprised Kay, Tessa, and even Sodo, and they all looked at her in disbelief.

"E, Eh….?" Kay was the most startled.

"I merely came to properly thank Leader Dempsey for his guidance all these years," Inez continued. "My mother wanted to talk to him a little longer so me and Parker went for a little walk." But then Inez saw the worried look on Kay's face. She expected that, but she didn't think Kay would look **that** worried… She sighed before continuing on. "Don't misunderstand, Planer – I'm not leaving because I feel bad from losing yesterday. I'm leaving…" Then she stared sharply and directly at Kay. "… **so you and I can continue battling**."

Kay didn't know what to say or feel about that.

"If we both stay at the same Gym, we would never be able to face each other in official tournaments. That's why… the next time you and I will have our Pokemon battle… it will be in a Battle Stadium! From this day onwards, Kay Planer… you and I are **RIVALS**."

Again, Kay didn't exactly know how to respond to that.

"The Pokemon Trainer License Test is in a week," Inez pointed out. "I expect you to pass it... and then there's the East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament coming up next year - Blaze and I will be waiting for you and Teppo there." Inez then held out her hand to her. "You and your Pokemon taught us that we still have a long way to go to become better Pokemon Trainers. We'll look forward to battling you two again."

Kay stared at that hand. It was just like her dream – granted slightly different. Nonetheless Kay didn't think twice on it, and gladly accepted Inez's handshake.

"Yes!" said Kay with a smile. "It's a promise, Inez…!"

Inez cracked her own smile in return. "So it's a promise then." Then she withdrew her hand and turned away from her. "We may be in different Gyms now… but our goals don't change and we'll train even harder from now on. We'll see you, Kay Planer." Just like that, she started walking away, soon stepping back outside the city without ever turning back.

Parker chuckled. "Heh, that girl…" he said. "Always have to act cool all the time."

Kay, however, looked at the door and then to her hand that shook Inez's. A promise, she reminded herself. They made a promise! She clutched her hand into a fist and then looked back at the door, smiling with unrivaled determination.

'We'll see each other again soon, Inez…! This time… as official Pokemon Trainers…!'

* * *

For the rest of the week, Inez never returned to the Pokemon Gym, but Kay was told that she and her mother already joined another on the other side of the city. From what she heard, Inez and Blaze were training as hard as ever, so she and Teppo did not want to fall behind. Leader Dempsey never said it to either of them but he was proud of the two girls – the outcome of their last Pokemon Battle did not deter either of their focuses in training. If anything, it inspired them to do even more – initially he was actually worried that one of them would lose their motivation.

How glad he was that he was wrong.

Kay and Teppo's trained progressed nicely, and the Pokemon Trainer License Test was fast approaching.

The next week…

Kay and Teppo stood in front of the city's Battle Stadium, and the mere size of its entrance left the two feeling overwhelmed. Kay had heard and read about the stadium several times, but standing in front of the actual building was breath-taking. From what she learned, the stadium used to be a Gym belonging to the city's Gym Leader back in the old days – though it definitely wasn't Dempsey's since he denied it when she asked.

This was where official Pokemon Battles happen… but more importantly, this was the promised place between her and Inez.

"It's empty today since there are no battles going on," said Charles, who had been brought in to accompany her and Dempsey. "But when there are battles, there will be a huge crowd of people usually gathering by this entrance. How does it feel, Kay? This is the first time you're here, right?"

Teppo was still staring up at it.

Kay nodded. "It's amazing… It's a lot bigger than I imagined."

"It's only because a lot of people tend to come for the bigger fights," Leader Dempsey pointed out. "But you don't have to worry about that now. Remember that you have the Pokemon Trainer License Test to focus on first. First test will be a written one – have you studied like I'd asked you to?" Kay nodded. "Good luck with that, Kid – me and Charles will be waiting for you in the main room for the second part of the test."

"Yes, sir…!"

"Also, Kid…?" The old man looked the girl over, sweat-dropping. "Why are you wearing your track suit…?"

It was true: instead of wearing something more casual or formal like a dress with a skirt, Kay chose to wear her dark blue track suit. This caused Kay to fluster. "I, I wasn't sure what to wear…!" Kay pointed out. "I didn't have any nicer clothes to wear… plus I feel more comfortable with this so…"

"Ah! Fancy meeting you three here!" But a familiar voice called out to them cutting into her sentence, and when they turned, they were surprised to see none other than Professor Eucalyptus walking towards them! "Okay, I'm lying – I was informed that Kay will be taking her test today." The Professor, as always, was wearing his signature lab coat. He then looked towards Kay with a smile. "You'll be happy to know that Inez did incredibly well by the way – there's without a doubt that she will pass."

"Inez did?" Kay asked, before smiling to herself. "That's good to know… I knew Inez would have no problem with it!"

"Hello there, Professor," Charles greeted. "Did you actually come by just to meet with Kay?"

"Well… I'd be lying if I said I didn't," said Eucalyptus. "But she's not the only one I'm interested in today. There's someone else who I think is incredibly talented taking the test today."

Kay blinked. "Wow, really? Who is it?"

But Eucalyptus simply shrugged. "Hahaha…! You'll find out soon enough!" The Professor waved his hand and soon started walking past the three. "But still, good luck with the tests. I'm sure you'll do just fine!" The eccentric Professor happily disappeared into the stadium after.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Kid?" asked Leader Dempsey. "Go on ahead before you're late."

"R, Right…!" Kay flustered. "I'll see you two later…!"

Leaving Leader Dempsey and Charles behind, Kay and Teppo rushed into the Stadium, going through a nearby hallway and then looking around for the room number the test was supposed to take place in. Thankfully there were signs directing people to it, but it was still a long way. "We have to hurry…" she muttered to herself. "It should be around this corner-…"

But as soon as they turned around the corner ahead of them, Kay suddenly bumped into someone. Kay merely stepped back, but unfortunately she heard the other person dropping on the floor.

"S-Sorry…!" Kay quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to-...! Here, let me help you up-…"

But what she saw silenced her: it was a girl probably around her age. Her midnight-blue hair was long, reaching waist level – but it was so unruly it looked like the girl probably didn't bother to brush it. Her face was pale, but the darks under her eyes were obvious. Slowly she stood up on her own, revealing that she was wearing a black dress that covered most of her body save for her hands - though it did little to hide her seemingly thin body. She was, however, a little taller than Kay herself.

She didn't even say anything, and simply shot a glare at Kay and her Pignite.

"A, Are you alright…?" Kay asked. "I, I'm really sorry for bumping into you…"

"…" But the other girl's sights fell fixed on Teppo instead.

Whether Teppo felt intimidated or weirded out, the fire pig Pokemon backed away to slowly hide behind Kay's legs. Kay tried to apologize once more, but the glaring girl then simply walked past the two without even saying a single word, soon silently disappearing into the restroom nearby - the whole thing gave Kay the creeps.

"I wonder if she's here for the Pokemon Trainer License Test too…?" Kay asked Teppo. But the girl decided to just shake it off for now. "No, we have the test to focus ourselves! Teppo, why don't you go back inside your Pokeball for now?" She held out the red and white sphere in front of it. "It would just be for a little while."

Teppo frowned at its own Pokeball but eventually nodded. Soon the Fire-Type got absorbed into it by a red light and Kay put the Pokeball safely back to her side, hooking it to her pants. Taking a deep breath, Kay then started to approach the test room.

But she didn't realize that the girl from earlier was watching from around the corner…

* * *

**FazzEagle: **And there's Chapter 12! Kay finally stands up to her bullies and she officially becomes rivals with Inez. Plus a new character has made an appearance, who I based on the Hex Maniac from Pokemon X & Y (I don't know why but I like the design of that character). Speaking of rivals, I honestly believed Gary was Ash's greatest rival - it sucked for me when he decided to quit becoming a Pokemon Trainer and instead become a Pokemon Researcher. I don't really follow the anime series so much now... but I'm gonna miss Gary.

Also, Kay unintentionally revealed a weakness in Sodo!

As always, I appreciate any reviews any of you can give me! Though I'm not sure how it generally works here yet: do most reviewers (outside of private messaging) expect to be responded to? I mean, not that anyone said anything, but I've known some people who tend to be... a tad sensitive on that for reasons I'm not quite clear on (I know one person said it could potentially spoil the story's hype).

See you next chapter! I think I may give one of the submitted OCs a cameo soon by the way.

Also! Forgot to mention: there's a poll on my profile page on if I should change how characters address each other in this story. I don't know if I could put the poll anywhere else but would really appreciate any input!


	13. A Haunting Threat!

**Chapter 13 – "A Haunting Threat!"**

Kay blinked as she scanned around the room.

The test was about to start, but there were only ten people in the room – excluding the invigilator, of course. Five of them were sat across a long table, while the other five sat across another with both groups' backs turned away from each other. Only three out of the ten were females, and one of them indeed happened to be the creepy-looking girl Kay encountered earlier. In fact, she was sitting directly behind her, facing the other way. Unfortunately, there were no other familiar faces.

Kay did notice though that there were definitely people much older than she was there.

"You have exactly one hour to fill up your answer sheets," said the invigilator. "And please, there will be no talking and disturbing your neighbors. Think carefully before you answer each question."

'This feels like the exams in school…' Kay thought.

"Alright…" The man turned his attention to his watch. "You may turn your papers now and start answering. Good luck, all of you!"

And Kay quickly turned her paper around. But in turn, she accidentally bumped her hand into her pencil case! The sound it made hitting the floor echoed across the room, startling several other test-takers into looking at her direction.

"S-Sorry…!" Kay flustered, quickly kneeling down to pick up her things. 'That was so embarrassing…' But as she lifted her head, the girl yet again caught the others' attention, this time from her accidentally hitting her head on the table. "O-Ow…."

This time, however, most of the people there started chuckling.

"What the heck?" asked one of the boys. "Are you here you to be a comedian or something?"

"That sure was funny!" a girl added.

Kay blushed furiously as the others continued to poke fun at her, but the girl in the black dress remained quiet.

And visibly irritated.

* * *

Kay sighed as she walked out of the room. The test was over and she didn't think she had a hard time answering the questions - she just wished things would have started a little differently. Everyone was instructed to head to the 'Battle Stage' – the area where Pokemon Trainers officially engage their battles - after a thirty minute break, but a lot of them including Kay was feeling rather eager to head straight there.

But then there was a pat on her shoulder.

"Hey there." One of the other test-takers – a girl – stepped up to greet her, which sort of surprised Kay, actually. At the very least she didn't look as hostile as the other one… "Thanks for that laugh earlier by the way - really fixed all the tension in that room."

Kay chuckled weakly in return. "It –was- kind of scary in there…" Kay admitted. "I don't think I've even felt that much pressure during my school exams."

The other girl laughed softly. "Ha, don't I know it. But I really hope to become a Pokemon Trainer after all this."

"M, Me too…!" said Kay, before suddenly extending her hand. "Let's both work hard to become Pokemon Trainers…!"

The girl looked a little surprise at the handshake offer. Eventually though she did reach out to accept it, but as soon as their hands touched, someone deliberately walked between them: the girl with the black dress. She stared the two girls down one by one, and not once did she show any clearly defined emotion. The last one she stared down before she started walking away again was Kay, however.

"What's her problem…?" the other girl asked. "Rude, much?"

But Kay cautiously watched the eerie girl walk away.

Finally everyone arrived at the Battle Stage, and most of them were in awe at just how large and wide the area actually was. Around them were the spectator seats, and much like what Kay was told, they looked enough to sit thousands of people – the thought alone made Kay gulp. However, this time there were only a few spectators; Leader Dempsey and Charles were among some of them, but only the latter waved in return when Kay did.

She turned her attention back to the Battle Stage itself, noticing the two giant screens each suspended on the left and the right of the center. The Battle Ring stood in the middle, but instead of just a Pokeball Pattern printed on the ground like the Gym's basement, this time there was a round platform under it. A podium each stood on one side of the Ring, with either one directly in front of an entrance and a carpeted pathway leading from and to it.

'So this is where Trainers do their Pokemon Battles…' thought Kay, looking visibly mesmerized. 'It's… vast.'

"Hmph," Leader Dempsey scoffed, looking down at Kay from his seat. "She's not even trying to hide the fact that this is her first time here."

Charles chuckled. "Well, a lot of Trainers get that way when they first step foot here," Charles said. "It's like first stepping into a whole new world. I do hope she did well in the written test though. Though, I don't intend to be rude but…" Charles turned his head to the side, noticing a pair of feet propped up on the chair next to him. "… could you please not put your feet up next to me like this, Professor Eucalyptus…?"

And it turned out that the Professor was in fact there, sitting right behind the two! "Haahaha…!" laughed the eccentric man. "Come now; you don't get a chance like this when the seats are full! Besides, my shoes are clean."

Charles sweat-dropped. "That is beside the point though…"

But the Professor would respect Charles' words and soon dropped his feet back down, only to then lean forward to stick his head out between Charles and Dempsey. "This is what I've been waiting for after all," said the Professor. "This is the fun part of the Pokemon Trainer License Test. Plus… that 'person' I mentioned to you all earlier is somewhere down there."

"Which one is it?" asked Charles, trying to look among the ten test takers.

"Oh, you'll see~!"

Once their short break was over, the invigilator approached the group once more, this time with a woman carrying a box. "Alright, looks like you're all here," said the man. "For the next and last part of the test, you will get the chance to show us what you've learned so far." Then he motioned his hand towards three other people, all seated at a table placed next to the Battle Ring. "The judges will watch and grade you based on your and your Pokemon's performances."

"So please reach into this box and pick a number," said the woman next to him. "Your numbers will then be matched randomly to determine who you will be facing. Good luck!"

Everyone started lining up to pick out their numbers one-by-one, and Kay ended up with the number 5, while the girl with her that time got 10. Once everyone had their numbers, the invigilator started calling out for the numbers 3 and 8 first, while the rest were asked to wait for their turns. The first two individuals were a young man with a Butterfree and a man with a Raticate.

Their referee, who had just climbed into the Battle Ring, was a Mr. Mime wearing a striped black and white shirt and hat. Kay was surprised, but she soon recalled that was how it was done in official Pokemon Battles.

Suddenly, with a press of a button from the woman with the invigilator, some sort of mechanism started running underneath the ring. The Battle Ring lit up, and soon a one-half sphere of what appeared to be transparent energy would rise out from the edges, enclosing the two Pokemon and their owners inside it – mimicking a Pokeball - in an artificial barrier of sort. It shined white for a split second, followed by the sound of a struck ring bell.

Their battle was brief but slow, with neither Pokemon overpowering the other or getting a good hit. Next numbers called out were 2 and 6, and this time it was someone with a Magnemite and someone with a Sentret. The battle was more fast-paced than the previous one, but as Professor Eucalyptus would grumble: nothing stood out either. Then the numbers 7 and 9 were called out, and as two other potential Trainers walked up to the Ring, Kay was getting more anxious by the minute.

"Alright, that should be all," said the invigilator as the Mr. Mime referee stood between the other two Pokemon in the ring. "Next are… Numbers 1 and 5. Please step into your podiums."

Kay blinked, and then quickly stood up when she realized it was her number getting called out. "T, That's me…!" she flustered. "I… I'll be there in a second…!"

Kay climbed on the empty podium. Once she reached the top, she went momentarily stiff from the view she got of the Battle Ring and the seats surrounding them. She spotted the young man she was going to battle from across the Ring and slowly but nervously held up her Pokeball.

"Let's have a good little match, you two," said the invigilator. "Just use what you've learned and you two should be fine."

"Alright," said the young man.

"Y, Yes, sir…!" exclaimed the more obviously agitated Kay.

The sight, however, made the young man smirk. 'It's that girl from earlier…' he thought. 'Lucky! I was paired up with someone easy.'

Then before long, the bell was rung.

Kay was quick to toss the Pokeball towards the Battle Ring, crying out: "Let's go, Teppo…!"

"Go, Zig!" And the young man would follow suit with his own Pokeball.

The two Pokeballs hit the ground at the same time, and in flashes of white light, two Pokemon emerge: Pignite and Zangoose, the cat ferret Pokemon. The two Pokemon land on their feet and they both quickly got into their own battle stance, with the Zangoose slightly crouched down and Teppo raising its arms in front of it. But it was the former that made the first move.

The Zangoose lunged at Teppo.

"Zig, use Fury Cutter!" cried out the young man.

"Zaang…!" The cat ferret cried out before swinging one of its clawed paws.

As soon as the Zangoose closed in, Teppo's eyes sharpened. The claws came quick, but Teppo safely leaned away from harm. The Zangoose didn't stop there though; it quickly followed up with another clawing attempt, but again Teppo leaned away and avoiding contact. The Zangoose tried it again, only for Teppo to do the same thing. The Zangoose was getting frustrated and its owner was staring somewhat in disbelief.

'Wait…' thought Kay. 'Could this be… like that time…?' To Kay, the Zangoose's movements were very swift and sharp, and she herself was surprised how her Pignite was able to dodge each of its attacks. Then it hit her: just like that time with Terry… 'Teppo must be seeing it moving slower than it actually is…!' Kay felt fired up. 'To Teppo, Blaze's kicks must be twice or three times faster. Alright…!' "Teppo…!" Kay cried out. "Duck away and use Fire Punch…!"

"Pignite…!" its ears twitched as it heard Kay's voice.

Its eyes fired up and the fire inside its body burned with fighting spirit. To the Zangoose's surprise, the Pignite – moving surprisingly fast for its size and weight - swiftly ducked under its swinging claws, and just as quickly stepped around to the cat ferret's side. The young man was startled but he tried to call out for his Pokemon to retaliate quickly, but he was too late.

The Pignite's right fist flashed bright orange and soon became enveloped in flames. Before the Zangooze could properly prepare to defend against it, the burning fist came slamming into its face. Everyone else watched with widened eyes as the Zangoose was literally knocked off its feet, sent flying across the Battle Ring until its back hits the invisible barrier behind it. The Zangoose slid off the barrier and into a sitting position, but its head fell limp.

The Zangoose was completely knocked out.

And the Mr. Mime signaled for the battle to be over, followed by the sound of the ring bell.

The young man was left with his mouth wide open in disbelief.

Professor Eucalyptus smiled from the spectator's seat. "That Pignite's attacking power is more frightening than I remember," he said. "That Zangoose was definitely tough, but for it to be knocked out with one Fire Punch… You've trained them well, Leader Dempsey."

But Leader Dempsey didn't say a thing in return, but simply watched Kay and Teppo looking happy over their 'win'. He did, however, nod approvingly. Everyone else below, on the other hand, were chatting away just how scary Teppo's punch was.

"Congratulations!" The girl with Kay earlier approached her. "You actually knocked his Zangoose out!"

Kay flushed a little and nodded. "Standing up there was still making me nervous though…"

"Pignite," said Teppo with a smile, patting Kay in the back of her leg in hopes of calming her down.

"Well looks like it's my turn now," said the girl. "And the only one that's left is…"

The two girls turned their attention to the only other remaining person who had not been called up: it was the girl in the black dress… and she was once again staring them down from a distance, all the while holding her Pokeball almost possessively in her hands. As the last numbers were called up, the eerie girl simply turned away and walked towards her podium.

"There." Professor Eucalyptus pointed towards the girl in black. "She's the one."

"The one you mentioned…?" asked Charles. "She…definitely looks scary, that's for sure."

And the Professor smirked to that. "… and soon you'll see just how much scarier she really is."

The two girls eventually climbed up on their podium, and like the previous battles, they waited for the barrier to close around them. The girl in black continued to just stare at the other girl from across the Battle Ring, making her feel incredibly uneasy.

'What the heck is she staring at…?' the girl wondered. 'But what is this feeling…?' The girl was starting to feel scared.

Then the bell rang, startling her back to reality. "G, Go, Pink!" And as her Pokeball hit the ground, the balloon Pokemon Wigglytuff popped out! "Okay, Pink, let's-...?!" But the girl couldn't finish giving out her command, because across the ring, the girl in black had yet to call out her Pokemon! "W, What…? What are you doing! Call out your Pokemon…!"

"Number 4!" the invigilator called out. "You have five seconds to call out your Pokemon or your forfeit the battle…!"

Charles was quite surprised about this. "W, What does the girl think she's doing…? Does she not intend to fight to begin with…?"

"… it's the other way around." Professor Eucalyptus' words had Charles whipping his head to look at him. "In fact, she's just getting ready. Look."

Charles turned his head to look back at the girl, only to be shocked from what he saw. The girl in black was tightening her grip around her Pokeball as a wicked grin crept up on her face, and her shoulders shook a little as if she was trying to hold herself from giggling madly. Her eyes soon came glaring down at the other girl and her Wigglytuff, and she slowly let go of her Pokeball. The black and white-colored Pokeball hit the ground and a bright flash of white poured out of it.

Soon, it was revealed that her Pokemon was one fitting to her own image: a Haunter – the Ghost-Type Pokemon.

Kay's eyes snapped open in surprise. 'Ghost Pokemon…!'

"Ghost Pokemon are some of the hardest Pokemon to train," said Leader Dempsey. "But they can be very tough to beat in a Pokemon Battle. I can understand why you would say she's 'scary', Professor."

The Professor's smile faded a little. "… she gets much scarier from here on out. Watch."

The Haunter slowly turned to its side, and started moving its left claw backwards and forward, backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, until it almost looked hypnotic. The other girl and her Wigglytuff were at a loss of words – they were not sure how to register all this. Then, the girl in black slowly raised her hand, pointing a pale finger towards the opposing Pokemon.

"Hex…" she muttered. "**Poison Jab**."

And the Haunter suddenly threw its disembodied, suddenly purple-glowing left claw right at the Wigglytuff, nailing it squarely on the face! That alone was enough to cause the balloon Pokemon to throw its head backwards, but what was surprising was the distance the Haunter could hit it from! They were probably several feet away from each other and yet…!

Charles' eyes widened. "That's…!"

"'Poison Jab'..." Eucalyptus said. "It's not a move a Haunter can learn naturally; it's from a Technical Machine."

"T.M...?"

The Professor nodded. "It's a move that's fast and sharp, paired with the chance of conflicting Poison on the opposing Pokemon. And she made the best out of it."

Back in the battle... "P, Pink…!" the girl cried out. "Get away from there…!"

But the Haunter kept lashing at it, so much so that the Poison Jabs were starting to look like the Ghost Pokemon was whipping at the defenseless Pokemon. The Wigglytuff tried to defend itself by raising its arms, but the Haunter quickly found an opening and this time jabbed it right in the midsection. The poor Pokemon tried to back away, but the Haunter wasted no time to advance at it with its maw hauntingly wide open.

'That was 'Mean Look'," Professor Eucalyptus told Dempsey and Charles. "That Haunter was trained to use that to constantly intimidate its opponents. Paired with the intimidating aura the girl already radiates herself… and you have one of the most terrifying duos to ever take up Pokemon Battling."

And the Haunter went back to using continuous Poison Jabs at the Wigglytuff, who after being nailed several times, started to look a little purple.

'That Wigglytuff is poisoned…!' Kay realized.

"Mime…!" Mr. Mime suddenly stepped in between the Haunter and the obviously weakened Wigglytuff to break up the battle.

But the Haunter pushed forward and shoved the refereeing Pokemon aside! Now up close to the Wigglytuff the Haunter continued its relentless assault, obscuring its owner's view and preventing her from calling it back to its Pokeball.

The Mr. Mime frantically waved its arms around, and the ring bell was sounded in a hurry. Like a cue, the Haunter stopped, but the Wigglytuff quickly fell to its knees, unable to hear its owner crying out its name, before falling completely face-first on the ground, its face completely bruised up. Once again everyone in the room was silenced, but for an entirely different reason. The Haunter soon returned to its Pokeball and the girl in black climbed down her podium, with people parting away to give her plenty of room to walk through.

But she grinned to Kay and Teppo alone.

… much to their surprise.

* * *

"You can rest easy, Kid," said Leader Dempsey. "You and your Pokemon did very well in the second test."

The test was finally over and everyone dispersed to leave on their own. They were all told that their results will come in a week's time so all they just need to do know was wait. Kay and Teppo was now meeting up with Leader Dempsey and Charles outside the Battle Stadium again.

"Really?" Kay smiled and sighed. "Thank goodness… I was really nervous back there."

"Oy~!" A familiar voice called out to them, and it turned out to be Eucalyptus approaching them. He wasn't alone though: the girl in black was with him! "Hey, hey! Glad I caught up with you all; I wanted to introduce you to her." He motioned his hand to the seemingly emotionless girl. "Her name's Braith. Just like you, Kay, she's thinking of entering the East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament. She's-…"

But the girl in black stepped forward, stopping only when she came face-to-face with Kay. Charles wanted to intervene, but Dempsey held him off.

"You're the one the Professor told me about…?" the girl, Braith, asked. She looked Kay over, sizing her up, and then suddenly grinned irreverently. "You and your Pignite are nothing special…" She leaned closer, staring Kay directly in the eyes. "You should just pull yourself out of the tournament when your Pokemon can still stand."

"What…?" Kay staggered.

"Hey now," said Professor Eucalyptus, patting the creepy girl on the head. "You said you'd be polite if I introduced her to you."

"Sorry…" Kay muttered, before looking back straight into Braith's own eyes. "… but I can't do that." She could see the obvious annoyed look on Braith's face, but Kay was undeterred. "I've already promised someone important to me that I'll enter the tournament." Kay straightened herself. "I can't back down now."

Braith's eyes widened, but she quickly turned away from Kay after hearing that. Cursing under her breath, she then spat on the floor before silently leaving the scene.

"That troublesome girl…" the Professor grumbled. "Don't worry about her, Kay, but despite that attitude of hers, she's a pretty talented Kid. Not just anyone can tame Ghost-Type Pokemon, you know."

Kay nodded, but continued to watch the girl in black walking away from them. Kay recalled what her Pokemon did to that poor Wigglytuff, and the lack of care the Haunter or its owner showed when the other girl was crying over her beaten-down Wigglytuff.

The opponent didn't even get a chance to show what her Pokemon could really do.

But Kay knew one thing:

'… **a strong opponent had just appeared!'**

* * *

**FazzEagle: **Am I the only one disturbed by the coincidence that this story was written on Chapter **13**? Anyways, Kay and Teppo did very well in their tests, but their celebration was silenced by the cruelty and brutal fighting style of Braith and her Haunter. In this story, Ghost-Type Pokemon are some of the hardest Pokemon to train because of their chaotic nature, so it's a big deal when someone actually manages to handle them very well. Will they engage in a Pokemon Battle in the future? Most likely, but right now we can all rejoice on the fact that the Pokemon Trainer License Test is now out of the way! Who will Kay debut against? Keep reading the upcoming chapters to find out!

Also, yes, this story does allow the use of Technical Machines! But they are costly.


	14. Debut Battle!

**Chapter 14 – Debut Battle!**

"We're home, Dad…!" greeted Kay as she stepped foot into her house, with Teppo following after. "I'm going to go change and then we'll take care of our chores." Today was one of their days-offs from the Pokemon Gym so they returned home much earlier than usual – it was on these days that they could catch up on all the work in the farm they may have missed because of Pokemon training. But Kay's greeting came unanswered, prompting the girl to look around and call out again. "Dad?"

She stepped forward, her hand reaching down to push down her shoe. It was only then that Thomas would peek out from the corner on the hallway.

"Oh, Kay!" he said, his hand holding onto their wireless landline. "Welcome back. Some people from the gym called earlier – they want you to call them as soon as you get home. In fact…" He looked down at the phone in his hand, with one hand covering the bottom of the handset. "… someone is on the line right now looking for you."

Kay was surprised – though mostly because she rarely had anyone ever asking for her on the phone. "Really?" she asked, quickly pushing down her shoe off her foot. "Tell them I'll be right with them in a second! Did they say who it is?"

"Hmmm… She said her name was 'Inez'. Isn't that the girl you-…"

Much to Thomas' surprise, Kay bolted for the phone! In a matter of seconds, Kay quickly yanked it from his hands and pressed the handset against her ear. "S, SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING…!" Kay cried out. "INEZ, IS THAT REALLY YOU?"

Her father sweat-dropped.

"… you don't have to greet me that loudly," Inez's voice spoke up from the other side of the line. "It's not like I waited long…"

Kay beamed. "I, It really is you…!" said Kay. "This is such a surprise." She quickly tried to calm herself down. "What is it that… you want to talk to me about, Inez? O, Oh, and how's Blaze doing? A, And I heard you did really well on your Pokemon Trainer License Test! Congratulations!"

"Of course. Taking that test was never going to be a challenge for Blaze and me to begin with. In fact, I just got my Trainer License not too long ago."

Kay smiled. "Oh, wow! That's really good to know… I knew you two could do it!"

"Then I guess I should congratulate you on passing the tests too. I was told you and your Pokemon didn't do that bad yourselve—…"

"Eh?" Kay blinked. "We passed? R, Really?"

"P, Pignite?" Teppo was just as surprised.

"… you didn't know…?" added Inez. "Leader Dempsey told me that your Trainer License came by at the Gym this morning."

"EHHH? I, It did? That must have been why they were calling for me while I was at school…! I can't wait to go and-… oh, wait – today Teppo and I are supposed to look after the farm. I guess I'll go see it tomorrow." But in her mind, she was crying out how she wanted to see it as soon as possible. "Thank you for telling me, Inez."

"I honestly thought you knew about it already... Anyways, that's all I wanted to talk to you about. Also… Good luck in your debut battle."

"Debut Battle? That's-…" But Inez already hung up on the other side. "Aww… I wanted to ask when her debut battle is." Kay put the handset back down where it belonged. She was about to head to her room when her father just walked out of the kitchen. "Dad, guess what?" She grinned. "My Pokemon Trainer License arrived at the Gym today!"

"Oh, that's great news, Kay!" Thomas smiled. "Congratulations. Are you going to pick it up right now?"

Kay's smile dampened a little. "Well… Not really. Teppo and I are going to help out here today after all. I'll pick it up tomorrow!"

Thomas looked over his daughter for a bit, noticing the slight change in her expression.

"… you two can go if you want, Kay."

"Eh?" Kay quickly looked up at her father. "But the farm…"

Her father chuckled, and gently patted the girl on the head. "It's not like you two are going to be training today, right? You can go pick up your Trainer License, but make sure you two come straight home after that, understand?"

Kay and Teppo smiled widely, and both of them stepped forward at the same time to give the man a hug. "Thank you, Dad…!" said Kay, before she pulled herself away to give him an affirmative nod. "We'll be back as soon as we can! Come on, Teppo!" Without even bothering or even thinking of changing out of her school uniform, she made a quick turn for the front door. "Leave all the work for us!"

"Nite…!" And of course, Teppo was eagerly following after her from behind.

Thomas smiled to himself as he watched the two disappear behind the corner. "I guess my daughter is officially a Pokemon Trainer now."

* * *

"Good afternoon!"

That was the first thing that Kay said as soon as she – with Teppo back in his Pokeball - pushed open the door into the Gym, and the first thing she saw… was Parker on all fours, with Tessa lying under him on the floor. Needless to say, the latter two was startled by Kay's sudden appearance.

"T, This isn't what it looks like…!" exclaimed Tessa, quickly pushing Parker off of her. "This idiot tripped and fell on top of me…!"

"ME?!" Parker barked. "It was your clumsy Pokemon that bumped into me in the first place…! Oy, Kay, please don't start saying things to anyone else here-… are you even listening?" Apparently she wasn't; the girl was too busy looking around elsewhere in the room. "… wow, she ignored us entirely."

Tessa sweat-dropped. "… in a way, I'm kind of disappointed."

"Where is it?" Kay suddenly stepped towards the two, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Where's what?" Tessa asked, leaning a little away from the girl. "And isn't today supposed to be your day off from the Gym or something?"

"I'm asking where my Trainer License is…!" moaned Kay. "Inez told me it arrived here this morning…!"

Parker blinked. "Don't tell me you came all the way just for that…?"

"What do you mean by that, Parker? This is important…!"

"Eh? Kay? What are you doing here?" Charles came walking down from upstairs, only to be surprised by the girl's presence. "Did you just finish coming back from school? But you were supposed to get some rest today."

Kay smoothed down her skirt. "Well… I was at home earlier, but then Inez called. She told me that my Trainer License just arrived today so…"

Charles could not help but laugh – albeit lightly – at that. "Leader Dempsey actually warned me that you'd be coming as soon as you heard about it. He was going to tell you to just stay at home… but I guess Inez beat him to the punch." Knowing that now, Kay lowered her head apologetically. "But since you're here, let's go and pick up your Trainer License from Leader Dempsey, shall we?"

And Kay beamed again. "T, Thank you very much…!"

* * *

Leader Dempsey sat at his desk with a stern expression plastered on him.

And Kay sat at the chair in front of him, looking blue.

"A good Pokemon Trainer should know to appreciate their days-off from the Gym," explained Leader Dempsey. "We agreed that you would get some rest at certain days of the week so you and your Pokemon can be well-rested before your next training." Suddenly he stood up, grabbed his cane and started twirling the tip in front of Kay's face! "**And yet here you are, apparently having ran all the way here from your home DESPITE knowing that you will not be doing any training at all today**! Know your limits, why don't you?!"

Kay leaned as far away from the cane as possible on her seat. "I, I'M SORRY…! I got too excited…!"

Charles, however, laughed by himself at the side.

"Hmph." Leader Dempsey scoffed, and finally sat back down on his chair. "But I admire your enthusiasm, Kid." The old man pulled open one of the cabinets from his desk, and took something out slowly. "Congratulations, Kid…" He slid that 'something' across his desk and towards Kay, and when he saw the girl finally realizing what it was: "… from today onwards, you are now officially a Pokemon Trainer. This is your Trainer License to prove it."

Kay's eyes widened; there it was: her Trainer License. It was a piece of laminated card, complete with her name, date of birth, gender, Trainer Number, the division she belonged to, and even a passport-sized photo of herself. Above all that, however, were the words 'Pokemon Trainer' written in red and white font. Kay slowly picked it up, filled with mixed emotions. This card had just cemented her place in the world of Pokemon Battling.

"I'm finally a Pokemon Trainer…" she muttered. "It's so hard to believe…"

"You've earned it," Leader Dempsey pointed out. "With that, you are now eligible to enter official Pokemon Tournaments, but you must remember that this is merely your first step into Pokemon Battling." Kay raised her head to look back at him. "Tessa and Parker are in the Team Battle Division; Sodo is in the Full Battle Division; with Inez no longer affiliated with our Gym, you are now our **sole** Single Battle Pokemon Trainer…!"

Those words felt heavy to Kay, but she nodded firmly in return.

"Leader?" Charles called out. "Do you think we should also tell her that other thing?"

"'Other thing'…?" Kay asked, blinking.

"I guess we might as well may," replied Dempsey. "Kid… we have found a Gym that has agreed to pit their Pokemon Trainer to battle against you."

"Then… that means…!"

"… that's right. Your **Pokemon Battle debut**…!"

"….!"

* * *

Kay let out a sigh as she dug her spoon into her handmade lunch box, then slowly lifting her head to look up at the sky. Currently eating lunch on the school's roof, she recalled back the day prior, when she first received her Trainer License and that someone had already agreed into challenging her in her Pokemon Battle debut. Teppo, on the other hand, was sitting next to her, munching on an apple.

"Tomorrow we'll find out who we'll exactly be facing, Teppo…" Kay murmured. "I'm feeling really nervous now – what if it's someone strong?"

"Nite…?" the Pignite asked, its ears twitching slightly.

"You're right," said Kay with a little chuckle. "Whoever it is, we'll just do our best to win, right? I wonder if Inez or Blaze gets this nervous over their Pokemon Battle debut…" She looked down at her box of lunch, having only eaten about a quarter of it, before she set it down slowly in front of her Pignite. "You can have the rest, Teppo."

The fire pig Pokemon grinned widely and quickly picked it up, gobbling its contents within seconds. While her Pokemon was busy eating, Kay carefully reached into her pocket, soon pocketing out her Trainer License. Kay held the card up in the sky, directly under the sun's light, idly reading all that was written on it.

"Pokemon Trainer…" muttered Kay. "It's just so unbelievable…"

"I'll say~…" said another yet familiar voice. "But that IS real, right~?"

Kay nodded. "Yep! It's real-…eh?"

To her surprise, the one who had just spoken was none other than Vicky! And of course, Terry and Nicky were there with her too! As usual: the three girls had their uniforms tucked out, with Terry and Nicky not even wearing the school's neck tie, and all three of them had their collars left unbuttoned. Needless to say, Kay's more modest appearance glared in contrast.

But Kay and Teppo quickly stood up, as if getting ready to fight back.

"Whoa, calm down, Plainer…!" said Nicky, holding up her hands in front of her. "We're not here to pick on you."

But Kay still looked pretty cautious.

"We just overheard you talking is all," said Terry, crossing her arms nonchalantly. "We didn't think you'd actually become a Pokemon Trainer… but that license does look like the real deal." She shifted her eyes to the side for a bit. "So can we… have a look at it again?" … but they saw Kay tightening her grip around it instead. "You don't have to hand it to us! Just hold it up so we can see it…!"

"I… guess that's alright," said Kay.

Teppo, however, was still staring at the girls cautiously.

Slowly Kay held up her Trainer License for the three girls to see, and they all looked pretty amazed if not also surprised. "Whoa, look at that…!" said Nicky. "That really IS her picture and her name! A, And it says there that she's in the Single Battle Division!"

"That's incredible~!" said Vicky, her eyes sparkling. "She really IS a Pokemon Trainer…!"

Kay and Teppo blinked. "You three are into Pokemon Battling…?" Kay asked.

"'Into'?" Terry asked. "We're practically fans! There's nothing cooler than a Trainer battling alongside their Pokemon! The bond between the Trainer and their Pokemon… The intensity of Pokemon Battles to see who's stronger… There's no doubt about it that Pokemon Battling is the most awesome Pokemon-related sport around!"

"And not to mention we get to see all sorts of Pokemon trained by all sorts of Trainers…!" said Nicky, looking just as fired up. "Listening to their stories can be so inspiring…!"

"I watch it on T.V. whenever I can…!" added Vicky.

But then the three girls noticed Kay staring at them, and realized that they just acted more excited than they had planned to. They quickly straightened themselves up, with all three looking the other direction from now.

"Anyways…" said Terry, clearing her throat. "Doesn't mean YOU'LL be as great as some of the Trainers we see on T.V, Plainer." The other two girls nodded in unison. "But out of curiosity… when is your… Pokemon Battle debut again…?"

Again, Kay blinked. "W, Well… It's in three months. In the last week of September…"

"Is it…? Huh, oh well… Whatever. Girls, let's get out of here."

Again, the two other girls nodded and as Terry started walking away, they would follow suit. Kay watched in bewilderment as the three girls just disappeared back into the school – that was the first time she saw them do that without that much bullying. The three girls, as soon as they closed the door to the roof behind them…

… ran back down the stairs as fast as they could…!

"What was that, Terry?!" Nicky asked. "I thought you were gonna tell her that we wanted to be friends…!"

"S, SHUT UP…!" exclaimed Terry. "I was embarrassed…! I lost the chance…!"

"You even said we were going to apologize for everything that we did…!" added Vicky. "But all we did was just talk about Pokemon Battling…!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up…!" cried Terry. "D, Darn it…!"

And the three girls continued to run while flushing furiously red the whole time.

* * *

The next day, Kay and Teppo returned to the Pokemon Gym, standing in front of Leader Dempsey and Charles in the office. The former two looked pretty anxious to hear who they were going to battle against, despite knowing that Sodo, Tessa and Parker were standing behind them and listening just as eagerly.

"Alright, Kay…" said Charles, reading up on his digital clipboard. "The one you and Teppo will be facing… is Wally Bailey from the Summers Gym."

Kay and Teppo were surprised to hear it, but everyone else seemed pretty indifferent about it.

"… who…?" Sodo asked. "Never heard of 'em."

"He's a Pokemon Trainer who started around a year ago," said Charles. "So far… his Battle Record is 4 Wins, 2 Losses. It seems he was winning during his first year… but this year he has yet to get a win. He's ranked 29 out of 30."

"Wow, 4 wins…" said Kay. "Does that mean he's strong-…" But when Kay turned to ask Sodo and the others… they were already walking out of the door. "W, Where are you guys going…? Didn't you say you wanted to give me advice...?"

"Yeah, because we thought you'll be facing someone special!" Sodo pointed out. "You heard Charles: this guy hasn't even won a single Pokemon Battle this year. You and your Pokemon will have absolutely no problem with him!"

"T, That's not true…!" Kay retaliated. "Even if that is the case, he still won 4 battles…!"

"You're right…" said Tessa. "Charles, what kind of Pokemon does this Wally Bailey usually use…?"

Charles looked back down at his clipboard. "… a Meowth named 'Paws'."

"Let's get back to training, everyone~!" said Tessa, Sodo and Parker in harmonic unison as they continued their playful march out of the office.

"G, Guys…!" Kay cried out. "Come back…!"

"Well I guess they expected more…" said Charles, sweat-dropping. "But then again this IS your first Pokemon Battle. It's not like you're expected to face someone like Inez so early on."

"Be that as it may…" said Leader Dempsey. "This is your FIRST Pokemon Battle, Kid – don't underestimate your opponent just because of their Battle Record. You need to show everyone – not just Inez – that you can go far and beyond in the world of Pokemon Battling. Let's see what your Pokedex has to say about a Meowth."

Kay nodded and pocketed it out. It didn't take her long before finding and clicking on its name.

"_**Meowth, the Cat Pokemon**_," said the Pokedex. "_**Meowth is attracted to round and shiny objects and it is known to wander about city streets and pick up anything that sparkles, including loose change. Upon finding a sparkling object, its eyes will glitter and the coin on its forehead will shine brightly. Meowth is a playful Pokémon with the capacity for human-like intelligence**_."

"Picking up loose change…?" Kay asked, sweat-dropping. "I guess that's why Meowth like to stray around the city."

"But it is a Pokemon known for its intelligence," said Charles. "But to be honest, it's not a Pokemon known solely for its fighting prowess."

"But still…" said Kay. "I wonder what kind of Meowth Teppo will be facing in three months…"

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in a nearby town…

"Get back here, you mangy cat…!" shouted a man. "Get back here that Magikarp tail…!"

A Meowth ran from the restaurant, biting firmly into a fish Pokemon tail, before disappearing into an alley. The restaurant owner gave chase, only to find the Pokemon already jumping over a fence and safe from his grasp on the other side. Despite the restaurant owner cursing at it, it just simply wagged its tail at him before casually walking away.

"Paws…!" a girl called out. "Are you stealing from Mr. Jason again?"

The Meowth stopped in its tracks and turned its head to spot a little girl frowning at it. She was a girl with dark brown hair tied into a ponytail. Judging from her height and appearance, she appeared to still be in grade school. She crossed her arms and stepped forward to stand in front of the cat Pokemon, who looked apologetic.

"Suzie…!" said the restaurant owner. "Thank Arceus that you came…! That Meowth just took the Magikarp tail that I was going to serve to a customer." But then the man sighed. "… not that I could serve it anymore seeing as it had it in its mouth already."

The young girl picked the Pokemon up, cradling it like a child. "Sorry, Mr. Jason…" she said, bowing her head in forgiveness. "My brother really needs to learn to look after his Pokemon more… We'll pay you back for it, Mr. Jason, so don't worry about it. Come on, Paws, let's head back home. Honestly… can't you just wait until dinner time…?"

The little girl walked away after waving to the restaurant owner. The Meowth would munch away on its catch of the day while she carried it all the way back to her house, which was quite the distance away. It was an average-looking house, but it appeared to be kept nice and clean. Not even bothering to ring the doorbell, the girl used one hand to push open the door and entered.

"I'm home…!" Suzie greeted. "Big Brother, Paws was outside stealing food again…!"

"What…? Again…?" asked a voice. "That's like the second time this week…" And her brother walked out of the kitchen. He was a tall young man, still around teenage years. He sported short black hair and his eyes appeared to be naturally closed. Aside from that, he looked to be a little out of shape. He did wear an apron over his clothes though. "Sorry about that, Suzie… I got distracted looking after Sam and picking up the laundry."

Suzie puffed up her cheeks, but then calmed herself down. "It's no problem…" the little girl said. "Here, let me help you out with Sam."

"No, that's alright…" said her brother, flashing her a smile. "Why don't you go shower and then watch T.V.? When I'm done changing her, you two can wait while I fix up dinner, okay?"

"… if you say so, Big Brother. But what about Paws? He's YOUR Pokemon."

"Meowth…?" said the cat Pokemon, apparently munching on the last bits of the Magikarp tail.

"Well… why don't you go and watch T.V. with him then? You always do know how to keep him in one place. Dad's going to be home soon too so I need to get things ready. Ah…!" He saw something in the hallway. "Sam…! Don't go running around without your towel…!"

"Yay…!" shouted another little girl.

As her brother disappeared around the corner, Suzie let out a sigh. She made her way into the living room, making sure to close the door behind her, and sat down in front of the T.V.. The Meowth hopped out of her arms, only to curl and purr against her before resting its head affectionately on her thigh. As she stroked her hand against its head, however, she spotted a piece of paper lying on a nearby table.

"What's this…?" she picked it up and read through it, but sighed in the end. "So Big Brother and you are going to be Pokemon Battling again this September… But then again Big Brother hardly have any time to focus on Pokemon Training anymore."

The little girl dropped the paper back down, which revealed to be the challenge letter from Dempsey's Gym, complete with a picture of Kay Planer.

* * *

**FazzEagle: **And there's Chapter 14, and we see who Kay will be facing for her first official Pokemon Battle! Also, there are three Battle Divisions stated in this chapter (there might be more but I have no plans on exploring them): Single Battle, Team Battle, and Full Battle. **Single Battle is strictly using one Pokemon; Team Battle is when you have a partner Trainer battling alongside you; Full Battle is more of your traditional Pokemon Battle, but with a maximum of three Pokemon instead of six**. Trainers are allowed to change which Pokemon they want to use for any of the battles, of course. Updating might be a bit slow for now since I do work, but there WILL be updates, that's for sure, since I have plenty planned for this story compared to my old Pokemon fanfic.

Hope you enjoyed reading it!

Also, for the OCs submitted, rest assured that I have came up with story lines for them, but they will come at the order I've decided on - some may take longer to debut than others.


	15. To Not Disappoint!

**Chapter 15 – To Not Disappoint!**

Paws quickly ducked, avoiding an Ember attack from a Charmander, avoiding the incoming fire just barely. Going on all fours, the cat Pokemon sprinted towards the fire lizard. The Meowth swung its claws at it, but the Charmander was able to step out of the way just in time. Again the Charmander tried to take down the nimble cat with a fiery breath, but Paws dodged to the side and closed their distance from each other.

From there, the two Pokemon kept clawing at each other, each getting in several hits through the other's defenses. Unfortunately, the Charmander's strength slowly overpowered the cat and one good Slash after, Paws was knocked down to its back.

The cat Pokemon tried to get back up, only to fall flat on its face from both the damage and exhaustion.

And the video stopped after the Charmander's Trainer was declared the victor.

"This was Wally Bailey's recent Pokemon Battle," explained Leader Dempsey. "His Meowth put up a good fight during the first and second round. However…"

With a signaling nod from him, Charles replayed the video on the Gym's computer, starting around the 11 minute mark and a minute after the beginning of the third round. It showed the Meowth still dodging and jumping around the Battle Ring, but the cat Pokemon definitely looked gassed, and seemed to be breathing heavier than the previous rounds.

As the video continued to play, Leader Dempsey added: "… by the third round, the Pokemon was definitely losing to the Charmander in terms of stamina. Its movements became sluggish and it became more vulnerable to attacks. If it wasn't for that, Bailey's Meowth would have probably won the battle that time."

"I see…" said Kay, though her eyes were still fixed on the screen. "But in the other videos from last year, didn't it win around the third and fourth rounds?"

"You caught on quick, Kid. Indeed, during its first year of Pokemon Battling, stamina was never a problem to it, and it won its matches with sharp and fast techniques. It's possible that its previous battles had taken a toll on its body… but we can't say for certain."

Kay stared at the video again, and after a while she blinked. "… the Meowth looks a little out of shape, doesn't it?"

"Hm…?"

"Here, look…" Kay gently took the computer's mouse and dragged the cursor around… only to accidentally do something else than proving her point. "A, Ah…! I accidentally closed the video…! Sorry, Charles… Where's that… thing you click on to play the DVD again…?"

Charles chuckled. "You didn't close it, Kay; you just minimized it. See? It's right there."

Kay blinked, and turned slightly red from shame. "Sorry… I don't get to work with a computer much."

"Here, let me play the videos for you. Which ones did you want me to play?"

"Maybe its first or second Pokemon Battle… and the video we saw earlier." Charles nodded and started replaying the videos on the screen, but before the video could show the Meowth even engaging in a battle: "There. Pause right there." Kay pointed on the screen. "The Meowth here looks pretty good… but if you look at the other video…" She waited for Charles to replay the video of Paws' battle with a Charmander. "There. Here, the Meowth definitely looks like it gained a bit of weight…"

Charles shifted his glasses a little. "Really…? I don't see a big difference…"

"Hmm…" Dempsey leaned forward to look at the video himself. "… actually, the Kid is right. It's not that noticeable… but it definitely looks a bit different from how it used to a year ago. That's some sharp eyes you've got, Kid."

Kay rubbed the back of her head while chuckling bashfully. "Thanks for saying so… hehehe."

"So is it possible that Wally Bailey is not properly training his Pokemon like he used to?" asked Charles. "Huh, I wonder why that could be…"

"Well, even so we still shouldn't underestimate our opponent," said Dempsey, straightening himself up again. "Three months can still be enough time for it to get back into shape, and that means that your Pignite and you shouldn't falter your own training, Kid." He turned to look at Kay. "Now we go back to training. Get downstairs and into your training gear."

"Yes, sir…!" Kay said firmly.

* * *

Kay and Teppo were now in the main room of the Gym, with Kay having worn her focus mitts again and taking in several punches from her Pignite. Compared to before, Teppo was now able to land most of its punches from various angles, even learning to jump and punch at the same time; Kay, on the other hand, was able to take in more of her Pokemon's punches without feeling as much pain as usual and could somewhat keep up with her Pokemon's speed.

"Right!" said Kay. "Left…!"

Every time the Pignite struck the mitt, Kay's arm went flying, but there were even times she almost looked like she would lose her balance. Kay would even sometimes strike back at her Pokemon, but Teppo was either able to block it or duck away from it.

"Those are some nice sounds..." said Parker from one side of the Gym. "Those two are really getting into it, huh?"

"The Kid purposely switched the mitts with one with a little less padding," said Sodo, who was pushing up on the floor alongside his Machop, who was doing the same thing. "That's why it can make those loud sounds; she said that way it will encourage that Pignite of hers to keep punching."

"Isn't that dangerous…?" Tessa asked, crouching next to Sodo. "I mean… won't that hurt her?"

"She seems fine to me," said Sodo. "There's still enough padding inside those mitts to prevent her from getting hurt. Also, look at where she's telling her Pignite to strike at."

Tessa and Parker turned their attention back to Kay and Teppo, watching the two training for a while. It took them a while but they eventually came to realize… that Kay was solely focusing on getting Teppo to strike at either the side of her body or her head.

"Those are all critical spots…!" said Parker.

"She has the Old Man to thank for that," said Sodo, grinning to himself. "Any big punch that can connect either of those has a high chance of getting a knockdown." The man then sat back down, letting out a tired sigh. "Still, that Kid sure has guts letting her Pokemon strike her there. One mistake and she WILL get hurt."

"Even if we ask her, she'd probably just say she's 'fine' and all that. I mean… she strikes me as that kind of person."

"And not to mention she uses that track suit of hers to cover up most of her body. Hmm… If only there was a way one of us could see if she really IS fine."

"Yeah…" said Parker, crossing his arms. "If only ONE of us could see all that without much of a problem…"

It was then that the two men turn their sights on Tessa.

"Eh…?" she blinked, pointing to herself. "Me…?"

* * *

"Alright, that should be enough for today," said Leader Dempsey, looking over at an exhausted Kay and Teppo. "You two did well today. Tomorrow we'll focus more on your Pokemon's defenses and your timing in giving out commands."

Kay was sitting on her legs while Teppo was on its hands and knees, but both were panting and sweating heavily. "Y, Yes, sir…." said Kay with what energy she had left at that time. "Thank you very much for today…"

"Pig…nite…" groaned the fire pig Pokemon after.

Once Leader Dempsey gave them an approving nod, he turned away and started walking back towards his office as usual.

Kay steadied her breathing slowly, and then turned her attention towards Teppo, who had just sat down. "Good job today, Teppo," said Kay, giving the Pokemon a thumbs up. "I'll cook you something good later. For now, how about you rest up in your Pokeball?" Seeing her Pignite's approval, she held up its Pokeball, allowing the red beam to suck it back into the red and white sphere. Kay then tugged on her track suit's collar a little. "… I'm really sweaty – I should go wash up and change."

"Hey, Kay!" Tessa called out, suddenly running up to her. "Hey, are you going to hit the showers?"

Kay nodded. "Yeah… I don't want to ride the bus smelling like sweat."

And Tessa suddenly dropped her hands down on the girl's shoulders. "I'll join you…!"

"Eh…?" Kay blinked. "But… don't we usually take turns using—.."

"Oh, come on – we're both girls, aren't we? What's there to be embarrassed about?" Tessa shrugged, smiling lightly to herself. "Sides, I'm sweaty too so I could sure use a shower myself. Plus, there's plenty of room in there for the two of us. Oh! This would also be a good time for us to bond a little more, don't you think?" Tessa moved around her and started nudging Kay from behind towards the direction of the female shower room. "We can even wash each other's backs and stuff…!"

"B, But I really am fine showering by myself later… You can go ahead first if you want…!"

'Hmmm… She's going to be tough,' thought Tessa. '… oh, wait – I got it.' Tessa smiled to herself and then rolled her eyes to the side. "You know, even **Inez** didn't seem to mind showering with me back then; she knows that there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Plus, I don't know if you're thinking it but no, I'm not into girls in 'that' way."

Kay blinked. "In what way…? But… I guess if Inez was fine with it then-…"

"Good! Now let's go before Sodo and Parker overhears us…!"

"W, What do you mean by that?"

"Wow, it feels so good to get out of those sweaty clothes…" cooed Tessa as she dropped her clothes on a bench, leaving her taller and leaner body completely bare. Her skin was light and smooth, suggesting that despite all the Pokemon Training, she never forgot to take care of her own body. "See? There's nothing to be afraid of. Just us girls and-… what the heck is that…?"

She turned to face Kay, who had just finished putting away her sweaty clothes. Unlike Tessa, Kay had a much shorter frame, but she was in good shape thanks to all the farm work and Pokemon training. Her skin was not as smooth as Tessa's, but it looked clean – granted it was glistening from all the sweat on her body. But what Tessa was pointing at was the towel she wrapped around herself, and how she was cautiously and carefully holding the towel against her chest.

"Oh, I'm still a little embarrassed about this…" Kay admitted, chuckling weakly. "I've never exactly been in a public shower with someone else before…"

"Are you trying to tell me you're going to shower with a towel on…?" asked Tessa, slightly twitching in one eye. Tessa quickly stepped forward and before Kay knew it, the young woman was already trying to pull off the cotton fabric from around her! "Just take it off already! What are you so afraid of?"

"W, Wait..!"

The towel was yanked off.

"Ha!" cheered Tessa. "Got it-… huh…?"

But for some reason, Tessa froze on the spot... with her eyes locked in surprise on Kay's upper body.

* * *

After some time had passed, Tessa walked out of the showers, but the young woman looked… dejected – defeated, even. She dragged herself onto a bench, and quietly sat down, smiling a soulless smile. Not long after, Sodo and Parker approached her.

"Yo," Sodo greeted. "How goes it? Was she alright?"

Parker raised an eyebrow, noticing Tessa's strange behavior. "Uh…. Tessa? You look pretty… blue."

"She's fine…" said Tessa sluggishly. "She said her arms feel a little sore… but that was it…." Then Tessa slowly raised her head, but kept it turned away from the two men while smiling weakly to herself. "Although… now I wish I had a pair of Model One Pokeballs…"

Sodo and Parker had no idea what she meant by that.

But then Kay finally walked out of the showers herself, wearing a set of simple casual clothes and carrying her bag at her side. Teppo was still in its Pokeball, however. "I'm going to head home now," said Kay. "I'll see you all tomorrow. Hm? What's wrong with Tessa…?"

"N, Nothing…!" said Parker, chuckling weakly. "She's just having a little headache is all."

"Oh… Well, I hope you feel better soon, Tessa. Good evening, everyone…!" And with that, Kay quickly made her way towards the door, and soon disappeared back into the city.

"She has such a plain-looking face…" said Tessa. "Who knew she had such a secret **weapon**…?"

"… huh?" was all Sodo and Parker said in response.

* * *

Meanwhile, the next day…

A little girl with long hair was watching television, having sat in front of it with a big grin on her face. Behind her was Wally Bailey – her older brother – sitting cross-legged where the girl was actually sitting on, holding onto a small bowl of her lunch in front of her and spoon-feeding her every now and then. His Meowth, Paws, was on the couch all snuggled-up and asleep.

"Are you done, Sam?" asked Wally. "'cause here comes another choo-choo train~!"

"Alright…!" the little girl said with a big smile, soon opening her mouth for her brother to spoon-feed her again. "Mmmm… Hm…?" She looked to the side for a moment. "… Big Brother, what do we do when we see someone scary?"

"Huh?" That caught him off guard. "Uh… Well, you stay away from them. Why do you ask, Sam?"

The little girl pointed towards the nearby window. "… because there's a scary man looking into our house right now."

Wally turned his head to the side… and to his surprise there was in fact a middle-aged man sticking his face against their window…! But Wally recognized the man from anywhere: "L-Leader Summers…!?"

Eventually, they let the man inside their house.

"Where have you been, Wally?!" asked his Gym Leader, shooting up a frown on the boy. "You were supposed to come in yesterday for your Pokemon Training! Don't you realize that you have a Pokemon Battle coming up in September?"

"S, Sorry, Leader Summers…" said Wally, holding up his hands. "But no one was looking after the house so I had to stay behind with my sister." He turned his head to the side, watching his little sister doodling on a piece of a paper with a crayon. "… Suzie is going out with some of her friends today, dad is out job-hunting, and mom is out buying groceries." He smiled lightly back to the balding man. "… I'm sorry but I don't think I can visit the Gym anytime soon."

"Hmmm…" The man narrowed his eyes but then let out a sigh. "I can understand your position, boy… but ever since you've stopped coming to the Gym regularly, your Pokemon Battling isn't as good as it used to be. Not to mention that both you and your Pokemon are out of shape…"

"Hey, that hurt, Leader…"

"Sorry… It's just that it's been unfortunate for you and your career as a Pokemon Trainer recently, and the one you'll be facing is a debuting Pokemon Trainer."

He nodded. "Yeah… 'Kay Planer', wasn't it? I heard her Pignite is pretty powerful, but don't you worry, Leader! This time I'm sure Paws and I will win! Whenever we get free time, we'll train as hard as we can!"

"… and where exactly is your Meowth…?"

"Oh, he's… sleeping on the couch right now. He must be sleepy after lunch."

'Dear Arceus…' Summers thought. 'A Pokemon who had been battling since last year… reduced down to a mere **house pet**…!' The man sighed again. "I respect that you want to help take care of your family, boy, so I'll trust your word that you'll soon come by the Gym for training. But… will you really be alright juggling between your family and your Pokemon Battling?"

"…." The boy lowered his head, but then looked back at his sister, who was cheering on her own for finally completing her drawing. "… yeah, don't worry, Leader Summers. I can take care of both if I put my mind to it."

"… alright, boy. Well, I'll return to the Gym for today. I'll be there until the usual time so if you feel like coming by, don't be shy to give me a shout." Wally nodded and Summers slowly turned to walk away, soon hearing the door closing behind him. 'I was worried about this…' thought Summers. '… but despite what he said, he can't properly juggle between the two important things in his life. Not this way, at least. Wally… He's already lost most of his motivation for the latter. There's a chance… that he might think about retiring soon.'

* * *

"Aria's new album is really awesome…!" said one of Suzie's friends as they continued walking in the city. "I just looove her new song…!"

"I'm glad you finally found a copy," said Suzie with a smile. "Those things really sell fast." But then Suzie suddenly stopped in front of a fast food restaurant. "You three can drop me off here; I'm going to go and buy a few things for Wally and Sam."

"Alright, careful on your way back!"

Seeing her three friends walking away, Suzie's smile slowly faded into a sigh. 'Stupid Big Brother….' she thought as she walked into the restaurant. 'I told him I could have stayed and watched over Sam… and yet he still insisted that I go out with my friends. At this rate, he'll never get any Pokemon Training done…' She sighed climbing up on her seat. 'Oh well… At least it was fun.' "Now let's see what I should buy for them…"

"Gyahahaha…!" laughed a voice. "Good of you to treat me to something to eat, Blondie…!"

"Treat you, my **eye**…" said another. "You just followed me in here and demanded me to buy you a burger…!"

Suzie groaned. 'Ugh… Now I'm seated next to some noisy guys. I'll just go buy something simple and then head home...'

"So Kay and her Pignite are really getting it on with their training," said the tanned, tall man as he leaned against his seat. "Can't blame them though; this IS their first official Pokemon Battle after all. Unlike yours truly, they must be thinking of giving it their all in their very first battle. Gyahaha!"

'Eh?' Suzie blinked, and she turned her head to the side to listen in a little more. 'Isn't 'Kay' the name of the Trainer that Big Brother was supposed to battle next…? And he did mention her having a Pignite, didn't he…? Are these friends of hers…?'

"Kind of makes you worry though," said the blonde man. "I mean… the one she's fighting is that Wally Bailey guy, right? I don't know about you… but I think they should have picked a better opponent for her."

"…!" Suzie's eyes snapped open.

"Heh, you got that right," said the other man now. "I saw his last fight; I just hope Kay remembers to tell her Pokemon to hold back its punches – 'cause that Meowth will probably go down with just one punch! Gyahahaha…!"

Suzie tightened her fingers into her seat's padding.

"This is probably going to be an easy victory for her," said the blonde man. "Let's prepare a party for it in advance…!"

As the two men started laughing, Suzie shivered, and she narrowed her eyes into a scowl…

* * *

Wally sighed as he finally finished cleaning the living room, and he nodded approvingly at his own handiwork. "Alright," he said to himself. "That should be enough cleaning for now. Now to go and prepare stuff for dinner." But he then heard the sound of their front door opening and closing. "Ah, is that you, Suzie? Welcome back! Did you have fun?"

He walked out of the living room and into the main hallway, but he stopped short from greeting her. There, at the door, was Suzie, crying, and judging from the stains on her face, she must have been crying for a while now. But the way she was strongly clutching her fist told him that she was angry as well.

"S, Suzie, what's wrong?" he asked, quickly approaching his sister. "Did your friends do this to you? Are you alright?"

Suzie sniffed. "I, I… heard some of Kay's friends t-talking…" she said between hiccups. "… Big Brother… **do you like it when people make fun of you**?!" Wally's eyes snapped open. "P-Pokemon Battling had always been your dream… but now you're too busy… because of us…" She raised her arm and rubbed it against her eyes. "… and because of us… people are calling you '**weak**'…! Do you think we're… actually fine seeing you like this…?"

"Suzie…"

"I hate this… E-Even though you're fine with it… I hate it…! I hate you being like this…! I-Idiot Big Brother…! **You can't be this weak**…!" She quickly pushed Wally aside and started running back towards her room.

What she left at the door step was a plastic bag full of food.

Suzie was crying – that was all Wally could think about. She was crying because of him, and the things people have said about him. This whole time he just took all those comments about him and bottled them inside, trying to avoid risking his family to worry. But then Suzie came home, crying her heart out – all because of…

'**KAY PLANER**…!' He gritted his teeth and tightened his fist, and his normally closed eyes transformed into a ferocious glare.

"Big Brother?" asked a voice. "Was that Suzie?" Wally turned his head, only to see his youngest sister standing behind him. "Is she okay…?"

"… no," said Wally, slowly crouching down to her level. "… and it's my fault." But then he patted the girl's head, giving her an assuring smile. "But don't worry; I'm going to make things **right**. Sam, I want you to go up and take care of Suzie for me. I have to apologize in advance… but I'm going to have to be a little selfish here."

"Where are you going, Big Brother?"

"Where I have to." He stood up and then walked to the living room. There, he picked up a Pokeball from the shelf, and then he turned his attention towards his Meowth, who had apparently just walked up to him. "… you know what this means, Paws."

"Meowth...!" The cat Pokemon nodded.

"Let's go."

* * *

Leader Summers sighed as he looked out the window of his Gym. The sun was setting and it seemed Wally was not going to be coming by again. Grumbling a few words under his breath, he went to his hat stand and picked up his hat and jacket. Just before he stepped back outside, however, his door was pushed open.

"Leader…!" a familiar voice cried out.

Summers' eyes widened. "Wally…! You actually came today…! What's going on?"

To Summers' surprise though, Wally suddenly knelt down, planted his hands on the floor, and groveled at his feet!

"Please start training me and my Pokemon again…!" he said. "I beg of you…! No matter what it takes, I'm going to get strong again!" Then he raised his head, looking the most determined he had ever been in Summer's recent memory. "Teach me how I can defeat Kay Planer…!"

Summers was at a loss for words for a while. He wanted to know why he was suddenly so eager to come back to Pokemon Training, but he figured it was not his place. Instead, he just gave the boy a firm nod. "Alright," he said. "But you'll be making up for all the training you and your Pokemon have missed…! I'll whip you both back into shape whether you like it or not…!"

"Thank you very much…!"

'I don't know what happened but I have not seen that fiery look in his eyes for a long time now…' thought Summers. 'To think that we only accepted the challenge because no other Gym wanted to battle us… Kay Planer, we're going to teach you that challenging us was a mistake. Because in three months… I'm going to make sure our Wally's going to surprise you and everyone else…!'

* * *

**FazzEagle: **And next chapter we will finally see Kay Planer's Pignite go one-on-one against Wally's Meowth! The battle may not sound as interesting on paper, but who knows what surprises await in Kay's Pokemon Battle debut! Also there was a cameo of a submitted OC somewhere here, but I won't say who - though it might be obvious. Writing this was fun, and writing that Kay had some unexpected 'assets' made me chuckle. Keep reading on because the real story of 'Fight On, Pokemon Battle' is just getting started!

And yes, in case anyone was wondering: a burger in this world can be made out Pokemon meat - I'd think a Taurous or a Miltank.

Dun dun dun!

Also, please review to tell me what you think of the read!


	16. The First Step!

**Chapter 16 – The First Step!**

A month had passed since hearing who her first Pokemon Battle opponent would be, but neither Teppo nor she faltered during their training. They had even taken their training to a new level and started sparring against her fellow Gym mates, most notably with Tessa and Parker.

"Quick Attack, Shocker…!" shouted Parker to his Manectric. "Take it down…!"

The Electric-Type Pokemon let out a cry, and with incredible speed soon came swinging one of its back legs into Kay's Pignite's midsection. The kick connected, and Teppo was knocked down onto its back, followed by the sound of the ring bell from the inside.

"Down…!" said Tessa, who was standing at ring side. "Good job, you two!"

Kay ran down to the ring to check up on her Pokemon. "Good work, Teppo!" said Kay assuringly. "Don't worry about getting knocked down; we're actually getting a lot better. Thank you, Parker!"

"Hey, don't mention it!" said the blonde young man. "Your Pokemon is getting a lot harder to knock down, that's for sure. Phew…! I'm going to need a drink…" Groaning, he started walking away, but not without giving a wave to Kay and her Pignite.

"And after the break, it's my turn!" Tessa added, pointing to herself. "It's pretty amazing your Pokemon can actually keep up battling us now - at least not when compared to the first few weeks we started sparring against each other."

Kay nodded. "Leader Dempsey said I need to get myself used to Pokemon Battling aside from just training as much as I could. He told me that battling in the Battle Stadium feels a lot different than battling at the Gym… so he wants me to get the feel of things."

"Yeah, it's definitely different – you'll understand it when the time comes and you'll eventually get used to it. Besides, you two make great sparring partners anyway. If it was that 'other guy'…" It didn't take long for Kay to realize that she was talking about Sodo. "… he'd destroy us without mercy and then add insult to injury by laughing at us."

Kay sweat-dropped. "… I'm very sorry to hear that…"

"Good morning, my common people…!" A familiar voice suddenly greeted them from the entrance, and to their surprise, it was none other than Professor Eucalyptus! "Good to see you're all keeping up with your training!"

"Professor…!" Kay gasped. "What are you doing here?"

The man grinned as he adjusted his glasses. "Well… I have something that might interest you. BEHOLD!" Swiftly he pocketed something out of his coat's pocket: a DVD. "… what I have here is the recorded video…" He flipped the disc quickly. "… from Inez's Pokemon Battle debut."

"R, Really?" exclaimed Kay, and before long both her and her Pokemon started rushing to get a closer look on it. "C, Can I please see it? How did they do?"

"Why not watch it and see for yourself?" asked the Professor. "Of course…" He pushed up his glasses a little. "… this doesn't come free. Getting this copy took a lot of time and money… I'm not even supposed to show it to you, but with the right monetary persuasion…"

But Kay was already rummaging through her bag feverishly. "I-I have around 100 Pokedollars with me…!" the girl said. "I hope this is enough…"

The Professor sweat-dropped. "… I was only kidding..."

* * *

The Wartortle shot a stream of water forward, but Blaze the Combusken ducked out of the way with ease. The Water-Type Pokemon redirected its attack, only to one again find that the Combusken was just too quick for it to catch. Before it knew it, the Combusken had narrowed their distance from each other!

"Use Aqua Tail!" the Wartortle's Trainer shouted, hoping to capitalize on the type advantage.

Inez stayed quiet for the time being.

The Water-Type's tail started to emit a glow, and it swung it right towards Blaze's head.

That was the opening Inez was waiting for. "Blaze, duck now…!" With her command, the Combusken quickly ducked its head, purposely barely avoiding the attack. The Wartortle's Trainer looked surprised, but Inez wasn't done. "Now, Blaze! Counter…!"

"Combuskeeeeen….!" Blaze cried out.

With its opponent still in mid-swing from its attempted attack, Blaze stomped its left foot forward, and then swung its right while using the former like a pivot. Bringing weight into its kick, the Combusken slammed its now glowing leg across the Wartortle's head, much to a lot of people's surprise. The Water-Type Pokemon was sent flying sideways and crashing down onto the floor!

It didn't take long after for the Mr. Mime referee to declare Blaze's opponent was unable to continue battling.

And the announcer's voice boomed across the stadium. "And the winner is… **INEZ EVERETT**!" And the crowd roared in applause. "Despite this being her Pokemon Battle debut, she and her Pokemon showed total control and domination…! Surely she is sending a big message to the rest of the Single Battle Division!"

"W, Wow…" said Kay, completely in awe at what she just saw on the computer screen. "That was incredible…! Inez and Blaze... They're so much stronger than before…!"

Though Kay was a little disappointed that Inez didn't wish to say some words after her victory, she was just glad to see the two doing better than ever, and even Inez's mother was there, apparently acting as her official support now. The camera followed Inez as she walked away from her podium, surrounded by the applause around her…

… but then one moment came where she was actually staring straight at the camera.

It was startling – Kay felt like Inez was actually looking right at her.

"As you can see," said Professor Eucalyptus. "Inez and her Pokemon not only won their Pokemon Battle Debut, but they won against someone with a ranking of 24 while having just one month to prepare. Needless to say this caught a lot of people's attention."

Tessa whistled. "That's Inez for ya…" she said. "Already making a name for herself so quickly…"

Kay smiled. "Wow… Even with just one month… Those two really are incredible." But then she looked back at the screen, which was showing a replay of how Blaze defeated its opponent. 'That just means we need to work even harder…!' Kay thought. 'We can't lose to them…!'

"Of course I'm looking forward to your Pokemon Battle debut too," said the Professor. "Don't disappoint me, okay?" Kay nodded sheepishly, and Eucalyptus was thinking to himself: '… because I'm pretty sure there are other people looking forward to it as well.' "Oh, that reminds me… Wally Bailey said he's really looking forward to meeting you in the Battle Ring. What exactly did you do, eh?"

Kay blinked. "Huh…? I'm not sure what you mean by that…"

The Professor blinked behind his glasses. "Really? Huh… Well, for some reason, he's really eager now so I'm really hoping to see an exciting Pokemon Battle! Well, I must go now – I have other Gyms to visit today."

"Thanks for dropping by," said Charles. "Here, I'll see you to your door."

Everyone else in the room said their goodbyes before Charles and the Professor eventually stepped out of the room. Not long after, everyone else started walking out to return to their training – some more enthusiastic than others.

Kay was last to leave. 'Don't worry…' thought Kay. 'Teppo and I will definitely see you in the Battle Ring again, Inez…!'

* * *

In the meantime, a certain someone was definitely training alongside his Meowth. What seemed like forever since they last did it, Wally and Paws had been jogging up and down a hill for a whole entire hour - with the former wearing a hoodie over his head to shield him from the sun. At the peak of said hill was their Gym Leader, Summers, who was timing them for every run, and he seemed approving of what he was seeing.

He waited for Wally and Paws to reach him before speaking up. "You two are making good time," said the Gym Leader. "Though… you didn't have to do this much jogging, Wally. Don't tell me that you've actually forgotten that it's only your Pokemon that will be battling in the Battle Ring."

"No…" panted Wally hoarsely. "This is… something I must do too… Just like how the Pokemon represents its Trainer… the Trainer represents the Pokemon. We've lost all of our battles this year, Leader… but there's no way I'm going to allow anyone to call me OR my Pokemon **WEAK**…"

The Gym Leader just stared him down.

"So please, Leader… Let us continue this way."

"It's true that you have yet to win any battles this year so I can understand why you would be hungry for a victory, but on the slight chance that-…"

"If I lose…!" Wally continued, cutting Leader Summers off. "… then I… I will step down from being a Pokemon Trainer." Then he bowed his head. "… sorry, Leader… but I'm not just going to easily let that happen. Not this battle."

"… I understand; let's head back to the Gym!"

* * *

For the next two months, both Trainers and their respective Pokemon worked their hardest, with neither of their determination waning. It was now the last day before Kay's awaited Pokemon Battle debut; all that was left was the final check-up for her Pokemon, which took place at the very stadium she and Wally would do battle in.

Right now they were at the check-up room inside the city's Battle Stadium. There were nurses from the Pokemon Center along with their Audino, some reporters and photographers, and then there were all the Trainers and Pokemon involved in the Pokemon Battles tomorrow. Of course, Kay, Teppo, Dempsey and Charles were among them.

Needless to say, it felt pretty crowded.

"Hmm…" The nurse hummed, looking over Kay's Pignite from its weight to even the way it behaved. After some time, the nurse smiled and nodded to Kay. "Alright, Kay Planer's Pokemon is in good condition for battle!"

"Audi…!" the nurses' Audino cheered, clapping its little hands.

Kay beamed. "Yes…!" And the Trainer and her Pokemon soon held each other's hands. "Good job, Teppo!"

"Nite…!" The fire pig cheered alongside its Trainer.

Leader Dempsey and Charles were at the side, waiting for the other two to rejoin them. "I told you there was nothing to be too nervous about," said Dempsey to Kay once she finally approached them. "As I've said, they just need to make sure your Pokemon are fitted for battle."

Kay chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. "Hehe… I guess I'm just feeling anxious… especially since we're in the opening match and all."

And then the nurse would speak out again. "Alright, Wally Bailey's Pokemon is in good condition for battle!"

"Looks like your opponent is ready to go as well," said Leader Dempsey. "Go on; greet them."

Kay nodded. "R, Right."

Kay walked back towards where the nurses were and soon spotted Wally's back, with his Meowth standing in front of him. She took a deep breath and put on her best smile. "H, Hello there," she greeted. "I'm—I'm Kay Planer." She then extended her hand forward. "I'm looking forward to seeing you and your Meowth tomorrow…!"

Wally slowly turned around, and Kay looked up at him. However, her smile faded quickly when she realized he was not smiling in return. Wally was different from how he looked three months ago – at least judging from what she saw from his previous battles this year. He was more fit… but what caught her by surprise was the glare he was shooting at her.

"….!" He didn't say a thing and simply gritted his teeth, and then simply walked past her along with his Meowth.

His Gym Leader soon joined him, but he at least nodded to Kay in greeting before walking away.

"E, Eh…?" Kay blinked, looking obviously blue at the same time. "W—What was that about…? His eyes were scary…"

"I am not sure what happened between you two," said Dempsey, before looking at the direction of Wally and Summers. "But he is definitely not the same person who we saw lost all of his Pokemon Battles this year. Looks like… we might to be dealing with a bigger fight than we thought."

"…" Kay and Teppo simply watched as Wally and his Gym Leader left the room.

* * *

The next night…

About two hundred people were now lining up to enter the Battle Stadium, filling up some of the seats surrounding the Battle Ring in short time. Kay's Pokemon Battle debut would be the opening match of the night, followed by several other battles between other Trainers. Those watching included Professor Eucalyptus, who sat at one of the VIP seats, and Sodo and the gang – mainly Tessa, Parker and Charles – who sat with the crowd.

"I can't believe it's actually Kay's Pokemon Battle debut already," said Tessa. "We're going to have to cheer for her, guys."

"Yeah!" said Parker. "We need to make sure she has our support!"

"I'll cheer along as well," said Sodo. "Being cheered on by a great Pokemon Trainer like me, she'll definitely be pumped up! Gyaahahaha…!"

Tessa and Parker simply groaned.

On the other side of the Battle Stadium, three familiar girls had decided to buy tickets to watch tonight's Pokemon Battles – though they were more interested in the opening match than anything else.

"Can't believe Plainer is actually going to be down there Pokemon Battling," said Terry as she walked down the steps to find good seats. "Though she IS only in the opening match so it's not THAT big of a deal, right?"

"But still…" added Vicky. "Just the thought that someone we know is actually down there Pokemon Battling is…"

"The guy she's fighting hasn't won a single Pokemon Battle at all this year," scoffed Nicky. "I doubt even Plainer would have any problems battling 'em. Though… it would be kinda embarrassing if she does. Sides, you were the one who was pushing us to go, Terry."

"Shut up!" barked Terry.

And on another side of the stadium, Wally's sister – Suzie – had just sat down, apparently all by herself. 'Big Brother…' she thought. 'Because of me you trained really hard these past few months… You've gotten Paws and yourself back into shape and all but… I'm not very sure if I should be happy about this. I'm sure you still want to look after us like you used to… I—' However, her train of thought was interrupted by a gentle poking of a finger. "Huh…?"

"Got you…!" cheered a familiar little girl.

"S-Sam?" flustered the girl. "W-What are you doing here?" It was then she realized that a man and woman came to join them. "Mom! Dad! W, What are you all doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked her mother. "We're here to see your brother's Pokemon Battle."

"That's right," said her father. "He's worked so hard for us this whole time; the least we could do is cheer him on. Besides, he has worked really hard for this." He looked down at the Battle Ring for a moment. "Let's cheer for your brother – as a family."

Suzie blushed, but nodded sheepishly.

* * *

Inside the waiting room within the stadium, Kay and other Trainers were getting ready for their Pokemon Battle. In the room was a TV, where it showed the Battle Ring and most of the crowd in attendance. Like Kay, most of the Trainers were giving prep talks to their Pokemon but at the same time receiving one of their own from their respective Gym Leaders.

"Just remember everything that we've practiced," said Dempsey to Kay, who was sitting down on a bench. "And make sure you keep your focus on your opponent. Hmm? Kid, are you listening to me?"

Kay jerked her head upwards. "Y, Yes, sir…!"

"Hmph. Feeling nervous, huh? Don't worry; you'll get used to all this eventually."

It was then that the only door in the room was pushed open.

"Kay Planer!" a stadium attendant called out. "Kay Planer, your Pokemon Battle is coming up! You have five minutes to get ready!"

"Y, Yes, sir!" Kay cried out.

"It's time, Kid," said Dempsey. "Now… aren't you going to give some words of encouragement to your Pokemon?"

Kay turned her sights down to her Pignite and knelt down while holding onto its Pokeball. "Hey, Teppo? Are you… nervous too?" The Pignite nodded its head, to which Kay chuckled weakly to. "Yeah, and obviously I am too. In fact… My hands and legs can't stop shaking. But today is an important day for us, and you know why, right?" Seeing her Pokemon nodding to that put a smile on her face. "We've come this far… but I'm sure that if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here right now and would still be picked on at school."

"Nite…" The Pignite's ears drooped down.

"But…!" Kay continued. "Now we need to show everyone – Dad, Leader Dempsey, Inez, Blaze and everyone else – that we are stronger than ever. Together." She extended her free hand to it. "Let's go, Teppo - to take our first big step forward!"

"Pignite…!" The fire pig Pokemon cheered and grabbed onto Kay's hand.

And with a smile, she recalled it back into its Pokeball, whispering a 'thank you' to it after. Standing back up and giving a nod to Leader Dempsey after, the two then started making their way out of the room, where they then met with the same stadium attendant from earlier.

She and Leader Dempsey were led through the hallway, up some flights of stairs, and finally…

* * *

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen and Pokemon Battle fans everywhere! **To the Battle Stadium**!"

Though there weren't anywhere near thousands in attendance, the entire stadium was still filled with the roars and cheers from those watching. The announcer first welcomed the judge it's for the night's Pokemon Battles, and then introduced the commentator sitting next to him at the table near ring side. The announcer made mention of the number of Pokemon Battles scheduled for the night as well.

"Now it's time for the opening match!"

The announcer's voice boomed across the stadium, followed by the voices of the crowd half-succeeding in drowning it. The first ones to come out was Wally Bailey and his Gym Leader, while his Pokemon was in its Pokeball.

"From Summers' Gym, accompanied by Leader Summers…! Wally…. Bailey…!"

The crowd came to life once again, especially when seeing Wally looking as fit and determined as ever.

"Looking good, Bailey!" a male fan shouted.

"Don't let that newcomer walk all over you!" another fan added.

Terry, Nicky and Vicky were just as surprised seeing the newly reformed young man. "W, What the heck?" stuttered Nicky as she stood up from her seat. "That guy is totally my type…!"

Vicky blinked. "… didn't you two say this 'Wally Bailey' guy was a wimp…? That doesn't look like a wimp to me~…"

On another side…

"Wow, your brother's looking really cool," said Suzie's mother.

"Go, Big Brother…!" Sam cheered from her mother's lap. "Go win…!"

Wally nodded firmly to Summers before climbing onto his podium, basking in the cheers of the crowd. There were still less than what he had received last year, he thought, but it did not change the fact that he was more fired up than ever for this Pokemon Battle. His eyes shifted to the side, and among the crowd he spotted his sister, and then the rest of his family…?

"They all came…?" he muttered.

"Go, Wally!" his father cheered.

But Wally quickly looked towards Suzie, who was the only one not cheering and without a smile on her face. However, Wally gave her a confident grin and with a mere thumbs-up just for her, the girl's eyes brightened up.

And soon came Kay Planer's turn to enter the stage.

"And from Dempsey's Gym," the announcer spoke up. "Being accompanied by Leader Dempsey…! Please welcome her for her Pokemon Battle Debut…! Kay… Planer…!"

There were less cheers than what Wally got, but to Kay it was still loud enough. She walked out of the entrance, with Leader Dempsey following her from behind. While the latter walked the path with confidence… the Trainer actually competing unfortunately looked stiff, and she was even squeezing her lips shut the whole time.

"What's with that…?" one fan asked. "Isn't she walking weirdly…?"

Tessa sweat-dropped. "What's with that stiff walk…?" she asked. "She's making it too obvious that she's nervous…!"

"Calm down, Kid," said Leader Dempsey. "You can't show you're intimidated by the whole stadium."

"I, It's easier said than done…" moaned Kay.

The announcer then continued to let his voice speak across the stadium: "Kay Planer is still in high school, and she helps out her father with their family's farm outside the city…! When asked about why she chose to become a Pokemon Trainer, she said 'I want to learn how to be strong'…! Please welcome her well, everyone…!"

"Helping out your dad, huh!" a fan shouted. "That's a good girl, Planer…!"

"But next time try not to look so nervous…!" said another, which caused several others from the crowd to laugh.

Kay blushed. "… I didn't know the announcer was going to say all that…"

Parker groaned. "Great… Now she looks even more nervous. Isn't there anything we can say to get her spirits up?"

Sodo hummed to himself, and then suddenly stood up. "OY, KAY…!" His voice was so loud that everyone including Kay looked at his direction. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE NERVOUS…! Even if you're still not the best…!"

Kay felt touched. "S, Sodo…"

And then Sodo suddenly grinned mischievously, and moved his hands over his chest. "BECAUSE NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS **YOUR BUST IS STILL CHAMPION LEVEL**…!"

… and the whole stadium suddenly went quiet.

And then the whole stadium burst into laughter.

"What the heck was that?!" laughed a fan. "'Champion Level'…! That's rich…! That's good cheering, man…!"

"Who said that?!" laughed a female fan. "That was so rude…!"

Tessa and Parker fell over on their seats.

Terry, Nicky and Vicky looked around them, a little startled by all the laughing, and then back down at Kay.

"Wow~…" said Vicky. "I never realized it~! That's really funny...! Right?" But Vicky's own laugh came to a halt… when she saw that the other two girls were crossing their arms – over their tight chests - and frowning. "… eh? What's wrong~…?"

"NOTHING," said the two of them at the same time.

Kay, on the other hand, was completely red ear-to-ear, and her entire body was shivering from shame. "W, W, W, What is he talking about…?!" Kay flustered. "How could he say something like that in public?"

"That idiot…" Dempsey groaned, but then the old man patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry about that, Kid. Once you've finished this Pokemon Battle, all this will just be a memory. Look."

Kay turned her attention towards Wally at his podium. He was definitely not laughing one bit, and his eyes were as sharp as ever.

"Focus on having your Pokemon Battle your opponent's," Dempsey reminded. "Now let's go."

"Alright, everyone!" the announcer exclaimed. "We are now getting ready for the first Pokemon Battle of the night!"

Everyone - especially those who were personally acquainted with the two Trainers – waited with great anticipation: Sodo, Tessa and Parker; Suzie and her family; Terry, Vicky and Nicky; Professor Eucalyptus himself.

"**It's time for a Pokemon Battle**!"

* * *

**FazzEagle: **Here we go, guys! Next chapter will finally have Kay's first official Pokemon Battle! Will the battle be as easy as Sodo and the others said it would be? Inez's Pokemon Battle debut went perfectly, and now it's time for Kay to show the fruits of her and Teppo's training. Also, do you know what always gets me riled up for anime/manga/films involving sports? The crowd and the announcers/commentators. I'm pretty sure a lot of you can understand why: it's because if they hype the competition the right way, it makes it look like a bigger deal than it really is, which can be pretty awesome and adds to the 'wow' factor.

So for those interested in their OCs entering Pokemon Battles or just interested in the Pokemon Battles in general, you'll definitely be seeing the crowd and everyone else in the Stadium playing their own roles to 'sell' the Pokemon Battle.

See you all in the next chapter, everyone. And hopefully the story so far has fueled up some of your imaginations on how your Pokemon Trainers and their Pokemon would be like in this kind of situation. Also, for those who may have read this and not the previous chapters: Pokemon Battles will not necessarily end very quickly like they do in the anime - it can go on despite only passing, like, a few minutes or even seconds if real-time.

Oh how I love how the sports anime manipulate time/space to make things look more dramatic and epic.

Also, don't forget to review to tell me what you think about the hype!


	17. Challenging First Hurdle!

**Chapter 17 – The Challenging First Hurdle!**

Kay slowly and carefully climbed onto her podium, staring down at her feet as she proceeded to ascend the couple of steps. Constantly, she kept telling herself to calm down, and just let her feet move. Her heart raced; it was as if she could feel it beating against her chest. So many things started to flood her mind – things that she just realized she had never thought that thoroughly before coming here. It was her self-consciousness knocking at the back of her head.

Was she ready? But she did believe Teppo and her trained really hard these last three months.

Was all the training enough? But she had complete faith in Leader Dempsey's training.

Was she presentable to the crowd? All she wore was another track suit jacket, with the only difference being that she was wearing a skirt instead of the usual track pants – simply because she felt she would look better with the former instead of the latter. Then there was her usual and trademark orange-colored kerchief, which she tied over the back of her head and hair.

Finally she reached the end of her climb. She slowly raised her head. Soon the bright lights overlooking the stadium and the population surrounding the Battle Ring became that more obvious to her – growing gradually in intensity and volume simultaneously. Her eye came to widen from the whole sight; it was nothing like standing on the podium during the test.

"Alright, everyone!" the announcer exclaimed. "We are now getting ready for the first Pokemon Battle of the night!"

Everyone - especially those who were personally acquainted with the two Trainers – waited with great anticipation: Sodo, Tessa and Parker; Suzie and her family; Terry, Vicky and Nicky; Professor Eucalyptus himself.

"**It's time for a Pokemon Battle**!"

And the ring bell was rung! And the refereeing Mr. Mime threw its hands sideways to signal the official start of the battle!

"GO…!" Both Trainers threw their Pokeball at the same time!

"Go, Teppo…!" Kay cried out, releasing the Pokeball from her hand.

"Go, Paws…!" Wally cried out at the same time, releasing his own Pokeball. But… "… use Fake Out…!"

"…!?"

That caught Kay completely by surprise, and even Dempsey.

Teppo came out of its Pokeball through a flashing white light, but before it could even get ready with its fighting stance… the opposing Meowth was suddenly already lunging at it! The fire pig Pokemon was caught completely off its guard. Paws closed in and when it was but a foot away from Teppo, the scratch cat slapped its paws together in front of it as hard as it could. To Kay and Teppo's surprise, a shockwave of air came out of the Meowth's paws, suddenly pushing against the Pignite!

Teppo tried to hold its ground, but despite gritting its teeth and trying to endure the surprise attack, the Pokemon was actually sent skidding backwards by a couple of feet!

"Whoa…!" gasped the announcer. "Wally Bailey and his Meowth went straight for the offensive…! Of all of Wally Bailey's Pokemon Battles, this is the first time his Meowth has ever done this…!"

"An attack straight after release…?" Kay murmured, still in shock.

"KID…!" Dempsey called out from below. "Don't let down your guard! He's not finished attacking yet…!"

"Paws!" Wally called out again. "Attack it now with Fury Swipes…!"

"Meowth…!" cried out Paws.

The scratch cat Pokemon ran towards Teppo on all fours, and unfortunately - just like Kay - Teppo did not see it coming! It was still too busy trying to make sense of what had just happened and its body just froze on the spot! The Meowth soon came close enough, and claws retracted out of its paws. It then made a quick swing of its arm and took advantage of a non-guarding Teppo, successfully swiping its sharp claws across the latter's body at least twice in succession.

"Teppo, put your guard up…!" cried out Kay. "And then back away…!"

The Pignite heard Kay's voice and quickly lifted its arms, blocking a third swipe attempt and then backing away, only to get kicked by the Meowth on the stomach when the cat Pokemon quickly crouched down.

Dempsey looked on with worry. 'Not good…' he thought. 'The Kid and her Pokemon were taken completely by surprise by that Fake Out that it's throwing off their rhythm. But it's possible to command your Pokemon to attack as soon as it's released, but that can be reckless… But he did it without hesitating… and his Meowth took advantage of Kay's inexperience. That young man…' Dempsey looked towards the other side of the Battle Ring. '… he's planned to bring the fight with Kay as soon as possible from the very start.'

"Paws!" Wally shouted again. "Use Slash…!"

The Meowth put more strength into its swing this time, but fortunately for Pignite it was able to lean away in the nick of time, allowing the Meowth's claws to just graze its cheeks. But the power behind that swing looked to be something to be reckoned with.

"Teppo…!" Kay cried out. "Arm Thrust now…!"

"Nite…!" The Pignite straightened its hand and quickly threw it forward. The Meowth saw this, and attempted to block it by crossing its arms, only to be taken by surprise by the fire pig's incredible strength. The cat Pokemon was sent skidding backwards several feet away – more than it did to Teppo with that Fake Out! The Meowth growled, its arms shaking from pain, while Kay's Pignite finally took its fighting stance. "Pig… nite…!" It blew fire from its nose to show that it's now ready for battle.

"I-Incredible…!" the announcer exclaimed again. "In just a minute after the bell sounded, Wally Bailey's Meowth was relentless in its attacks, dealing several shots very early in the battle! That was the most aggressive it's ever been in the Battle Stadium! But Kay Planer's Pignite does not wish to end its battling debut too quickly and knocked away its attacker with a powerful thrust! Judging from the Meowth's expression, that must have been surprising attacking power…!"

Wally's eyebrows knitted into a little frown. 'That Arm Thrust was unreal…' he thought. 'But the stories about Kay Planer's Pignite's strength are apparently true. We were planning to take it down early too… But! We're far from done with you two…!'

Terry, Vicky and Nicky watched in awe at what had just transpired in the Battle Ring.

"T-That's the first time I've ever seen a Meowth that strong…!" said Nicky. "That was totally a Fake Out! But that was so cool…!"

"But Plainer's Pignite was strong too!" said Vicky, clasping her hands together. "Did you two see how far that Meowth went? It's kind of scary when you think about it…" She looked down towards the Battle Ring. "… that Plainer's Pokemon was actually that strong this whole time."

"…" Terry didn't say a thing – mostly due to conflicted feelings.

After that, the two Pokemon were wary of getting close to each other, and simply tried to circle each other but to no avail on narrowing the gap between them. Kay felt that Teppo needed to be careful of those quick claws, while Wally felt that he needed to keep Paws from ever getting hit by the Pignite's strength this time.

"Teppo!" Kay suddenly shouted, breaking the stand-off. "Close your distance…!"

The Pignite rushed forward right away, with surprising speed that wowed most of the crowd. Before long, the Pignite was within arm reach from the Meowth, and it kept its arms raised for defending. Hearing Kay's next command, it quickly attempted another Arm Thrust at the cat scratch Pokemon, only to have it dodged when the latter backed away.

But Teppo kept advancing with yet another Arm Thrust, and this time it caused Wally's Pokemon to try blocking it with its arms while still trying to back away.

"Tighten your guard, Paws…!" said Wally. "Wait for an opening…!"

The Pignite continued its assault, but one miss allowed Paws to step in and take a swing, scratching Teppo in the cheek. The fire pig Pokemon backed away a little, only to see Paws jumping at it with claws extended. Teppo stepped aside and tried to swing its own hand at the Meowth, but the cat scratch Pokemon was nimble: it somersaulted backwards and scratched Teppo from behind upon landing!

"T, Teppo…!" Kay cried out.

Thankfully though, the Pignite was still standing, fighting off the pain. It was fortunate that the fire pig's hide was stronger than the average human skin. Teppo tightened its teeth together and turned once more to face Paws, and threw several Arm Thrusts without even waiting for Kay to give the word. Unfortunately, the Pignite was not making any contacts at all.

"Kid…!" Leader Dempsey called out. "Tell your Pignite to calm down! Now it's just attacking recklessly!"

"Teppo…!" Kay called out. "Keep your guard up…!"

"That's good, Wally!" shouted Leader Summers. "Keep at it!"

Leader Dempsey frowned at ring side. 'I see…' Dempsey thought. 'Wally Bailey purposely had its Meowth deal damage early on in the battle. He knew that Kay's Pignite will eventually get desperate to return the favor… causing it to be reckless. And there's one other thing…'

Kay started to look worried. 'When a Pignite gets angry…' Kay said mentally to herself. '… the fire in its body intensifies. It increases a Pignite's speed in battle… but it also uses up more energy. And if Teppo isn't even doing any damage…'

Both Kay and Leader Dempsey then thought of the same consequences: '… all that energy spent would all go to waste…!'

"Looks like Kay Planer's Pignite is looking all fired up…!" pointed out by the announcer. "It's making a lot of sharp and powerful jabs! … but Wally Bailey's Meowth is just dancing around them and dodging everything with ease!"

Suzie and her family watched on from their seats, especially her and Sam. This was the first time they had seen their older brother this focused and it was also the first time they had seen their Meowth looking so capable in a battle.

And to think, all this started around three years ago…

* * *

"Awww, what a poor little Meowth…" whined Sam. "Did someone leave you here?"

Wally, Suzie and their little sister Sam were just walking home from grocery shopping when they suddenly heard a small meowing nearby. It turned out to be a baby Meowth calling out for attention from inside a cardboard box. Sam was the first one to approach and pick it up, despite her older brother's protest.

"Sam, you really shouldn't just pick it up like that…" said a younger Wally. "What if it gets attached to you?"

"But look at her, Big Brother…!" said Sam, holding the baby Meowth in front of him. "Someone probably forgot they left it here! We need to take it to the Lost and Found so it could go back to its family!"

"Uh, Sam… I don't think they-…" But Wally couldn't bear to tell his sister what was really happening, and the look Suzie was giving him assured him that Suzie didn't think it was a good idea to either. "The Lost and Found is just for lost objects, Sam… Not Pokemon. Should we…" He looked at Suzie. "… just take it to a Pokemon Shelter…?"

"How would I know?" groaned Suzie. "Maybe… Maybe we should just leave it here, Sam? Maybe its owners will come back looking for it."

"But what if it rains…!" Sam retaliated, hugging the Meowth now. "The Meowth will get all wet… and then it could get sick."

Wally and Suzie looked at each other again, but Wally then focused more on how the Meowth was already snuggling up to his sister, who seemed to enjoy the affection.

"Um… What if…" said Wally. "What if we just bring it home with us?" Suzie did not expect that. "But only for a while, of course. We'll… post up flyers to see if anyone's looking for it around town. Before then, we can all look after it. What do you say, Sam?"

Sam smiled widely and her eyes sparkled with approval. "Really?" Sam cheered. "Yay, thank you! Did you hear that Mrs. Paws? You're going home with us!"

Suzie sweat-dropped. "'Mrs. Paws'…? You've already named it…?" Suzie then looked over the cat Pokemon, and came to a shocking revelation. "… Mrs. Paws is actually a Mr. Paws." And Suzie pointed directly at the part of the Meowth's body that proved it.

"Eh…?" Both Wally and Sam suddenly looked dumbfounded.

* * *

For the next year, since no one came to pick up the abandoned Meowth, Wally and his family decided to take it in as their pet. Sam eventually forgot about waiting for people to come back for it anyway, but they had to change its name to just 'Paws' for convenience since Sam still believed the Meowth was female while Suzie kept pointing out otherwise. Paws itself had adapted to its new home and family, and thankfully Wally's parents were able to be persuaded into keeping it.

But Wally had a different problem. He was finally able to take the Pokemon Trainer License Test, but he couldn't think of or find a Pokemon good enough to bring along – the best ones were either harder to find or would cost him an arm or a leg. He had to resort to finding everyday Pokemon.

"Hmmm…" mused Wally as he laid on the sofa, reading up on a book on Pokemon. "Maybe a Pidgey…? A Rattata…? No, no… Suzie hates Rattata – she'd freak out if I get one. I could get a Patrat, I guess… Hmmm, I don't know…"

"What about Meowth?"

A familiar voice spoke up from next to him, and for a moment there he thought their Meowth was talking! However, it turned out to be Sam just holding it up from behind.

"You mean Paws…?" Sam asked as he shifted to sitting. "I'm…not exactly sure on that. I mean... he's just a house pet, Sam. Pokemon Battling can be pretty hard on a Pokemon."

Sam puffed up her cheeks. "But you kept saying you wanted a Pokemon that listens to you…! And Paws listens to all of us…! Plus, Paws will look so cute on TV!" The little girl kept bringing the Meowth closer and closer to his face. "Why won't you take me with you~? Take this! And that!" Sam moved the Meowth's arms to make it 'attack' her brother, much to her entertainment. "See how strong I am? Mrawr~!"

"Okay, okay…" Wally chuckled weakly. "Yes, you're very strong, Paws. Alright, if it makes you happy, Sam… I'll take Paws along for the Pokemon Trainer License Test."

Suzie was listening in from the kitchen while she helped herself to an orange juice. "Bringing a house pet for Pokemon Battling?" Suzie asked. "Someone is starting to look and sound really desperate, Big Brother~…"

"S, Shut up, Suzie…"

* * *

Back in the present, Suzie and Sam watched as their Meowth was battling against a Pignite, and was winning too!

'And to think this all started because you just wanted to make Sam happy…' thought Suzie. 'You really are a softie, Big Brother. And now you and Paws are battling for us again. I take back what I've said three months ago - you're really strong!"

"Kay Planer's Pignite looks to be in trouble…!" said the announcer. "If it keeps swinging at nothing like that, it's going to tire itself out…!"

Kay was hesitant now. Teppo did listen to her when she called out to it, but every time it missed an attack, it kept trying to repeat it just to hit the Meowth, who was always able to avoid that with its quick feet. Teppo was getting beaten out there.

And then the Pignite once again missed an Arm Thrust entirely.

"Now, Paws…!" shouted Wally. "Use Slash…!"

The Meowth took a swing, and slashed the Pignite with its claws right across its midsection. Teppo backed away and winced, but then it quickly prepared itself to push forward for another attack until….

"T… TEPPO…!"

Kay's voice rose at its highest, startling the battling Pokemon and even the people watching – including Wally himself. The Pignite stopped quickly in its tracks, its expression suggesting that it just realized what it was doing. It turned its head to the side, only to see Kay catching her breath, but with her eyes locked solely on it.

And then the sound of the ring bell echoed across the stadium, ending the first round of the battle.

"Looks like Kay Planer was able to stop her Pokemon from its reckless assault…!" said the announcer. "And right before the bell too! It appears she knew she couldn't allow her Pokemon to exhaust itself too much…!"

The Mr. Mime referee stepped in between the Meowth and the Pignite, telling them to get back to their respective Trainers. The two Pokemon were heaving from their intense battle, but they gave each other sharp looks before moving away.

"What was that, Kid?" Leader Dempsey barked as Kay treated Teppo's bruises. "Your Pokemon was just recklessly attacking earlier; you need to control your Pignite a little more...! If you hadn't stopped it just now, that Meowth would have been able to get an attack or two in again."

Kay looked down. "I, I know… I'm really sorry, Leader Demspey – it won't happen again." She then looked Teppo in the eye. "Teppo, are you alright? You need to calm down out there – you're not going to hit the Meowth just by being reckless like that. But… I guess I'm at fault too. They really took us by surprise… They're nothing like what the videos showed us."

"They're certainly more aggressive than their previous battles…" said Dempsey.

"Pignite…!" the fire pig Pokemon cried out, tightening its fist. "Nite…! Pignite…!"

The Pignite was looking eager to get back into the ring again, and Kay could tell that Teppo was trying to tell her that it would get the Meowth in the second round. But Kay would have none of that; she quickly slapped her hands onto her Pokemon's cheeks, and quickly moved its head until the dual Fire and Fighting-Type stared directly into her eyes.

"Teppo, you HAVE to listen to me…" said Kay. "I know you're angry… I am too – this wasn't how we wanted our Pokemon Battle debut to start off. But we came here knowing that we'll be fighting strong opponents… and because of that we've trained really hard together. I want to win… and you want to win too." Kay's stern face then melted away into a gentle smile. "… but we're not going to win if we don't work together."

Her Pokemon had nothing to say in return.

"So I need you to listen to me, Teppo. Whenever you get hit by the Meowth… you just tell yourself 'it doesn't hurt me' and don't lose your temper. You need to keep your guard up the whole time… and keep pushing forward – do NOT back away even one bit. Keep doing that until I say so, alright?"

"What…?" Dempsey asked. "Kid, are you planning something…?"

Kay nodded, firmly. "Yes… Rather, I want to try something to see if it works. If it does… then we will be able to turn the tables around."

'Those eyes…' thought Dempsey as he looked at the girl's expression, and then her Pignite's. 'Just like that time when they battled against Inez and her Combusken… right before her Pignite delivered that killer uppercut…' Leader Dempsey nodded in return. "Alright, Kid… I'll leave the rest to you. Go and show what you two are really capable of…!"

Kay beamed. "Yes, sir…!"

And the sound of the bell sounded across the stadium again, and both Pokemon walked back into the Battle Ring. The Mr. Mime stood between them, keeping its big clown hands extended to the two to make sure they keep their distances far enough. After a brief moment, the Mr. Mime swung its arms forward and jumped away.

The Second Round was officially started!

"Paws…!" Wally called out. "Use Fake Out…!"

Sodo and the gang, and Terry and the girls kept their eyes glued to the Battle Ring. There it was again: the move that threw off Kay and Teppo's balance!

The Meowth jumped at Teppo before slapping its paws together, sending another powerful shockwave of air right into the fire pig. Teppo was pushed back by a few feet, but the move caused it to flinch! Then the Meowth pushed forward, already getting ready to follow up with another attack!

"Use Slash, Paws…!" Wally shouted.

"Teppo!" Kay cried out. "Guard…! Guard…!"

Teppo's eyes snapped open, and it quickly raised its arms in front of it. The Meowth's claws slashed across its arms, and the fact that the Pokemon was pushed even a little bit showed just how much power was behind that move. Teppo winced from the pain and for a moment its stubby legs buckled under it.

But then it remembered Kay's words:

Her words echoed in its head: "Whenever you get hit by the Meowth… you just tell yourself 'it doesn't hurt me' and don't lose your temper." The Pignite tightened its fists and to Paws' surprise, it stayed its ground and straightened its posture! "You need to keep your guard up the whole time… and keep pushing forward…" The Pignite pressed its feet onto the ground, knees bending a little. "… do NOT back away even one bit."

"NITE…!" Teppo let out a roar, and came exploding forward!

The Meowth and its Trainer, who were actually waiting for the Pignite to back away as usual, was taken by surprise!

* * *

**FazzEagle: **And that was the first part of the Pokemon Battle between Teppo and Paws, with the latter showing off more intensity than one would expect from a household pet. Also, what did i tell ya? One round in a Pokemon Battle is just four minutes and it can take up a whole chapter, and much like most sports anime it's because of either flashbacks or the inner monologues of the characters. Kay and Teppo's inexperience in a Pokemon Battle caused them to lose out in the first round though, but now it seems Kay has a plan to overcome this unexpected 'hurdle'.

Keep reading future chapters to find out!

Also, for those submitting OCs, this is how Pokemon Battles work here - just for your information. Pokemon Battles do go on until either Pokemon cannot continue battling, but there is a one minute break after every four minutes. This is to ensure that the Pokemon do not overtire themselves and to minimize damage or the risk of injuries. For the Single Battle Division: each Trainer is allowed to use only one Pokemon, but they don't have to stick to owning one and can choose any Pokemon under their ownership that they want to use for each battle. But just remember that owning more than one Pokemon also means having to take care of more than one Pokemon - just picture having to take care of more than one cat or dog in your house... if the cat or dog are capable of magic... or something like that.

So your character can have, say, a Rhydon, but ask yourself this: are they able to actually keep it fed and taken care of?

Well, check out for more updates! And please review to tell me what you think of the Pokemon Battle so far!


	18. For Family!

**Chapter 18 – For Family!**

Teppo pushed forward!

Catching the Meowth's own advance by surprise, the cat scratch Pokemon instinctively try to back away and keep some distance from it. Wally called for it to retaliate with another Slash, but much like earlier, the fire pig refused to back away and kept stepping forward. But the continuous attacks coming from Paws appeared to be keeping the Pignite from finding an opening to attack, and it refused to allow Teppo to turn the battle into an in-fight.

"This is looking bad, folks!" said the announcer. "Kay Planer's Pignite keeps pushing on but the attacks from Wally Bailey's Meowth keep on coming! It's only a matter of time before all those attacks will take a toll on the Pignite…!"

Tessa cringed from her seat. "What is she doing…?" she groaned. "She's just letting that Meowth attack all it wants! I can't believe a Pokemon that much smaller is giving her so much trouble…!"

Parker looked worried as well. "Don't tell me that Kay ran out of any other ideas…!"

Sodo looked on as well, but with less worry. The first thing he looked at was Kay herself, and strangely enough… the girl didn't look at all hesitant. "That's not the face of someone who's on the verge of losing," Sodo said, surprising the other two. "But does that mean that she has a plan?" His attention turned towards the battling Pignite and Meowth: nothing appeared to be changing except Pignite not attacking back and just pushing forward instead of backing away. "…!" Only then did Sodo realize what was actually going on, and the realization put a smirk on his face. "… heh, I see; so that's what she's planning on doing."

"Eh?" Parker asked. "Wait, what? Whoa, Sodo, what are you talking about? **What **is she planning on doing…?"

"Just watch, you amateurs!" barked Sodo, scaring the other two to straighten up in their seats. "It won't be long now anyway."

Tessa and Parker were confused, but turned their attention back to the Battle Ring.

"Paws!" Wally shouted. "Use Fury Swipes…! Keep it from attacking back…!"

The Meowth started swiping at the Pignite almost wildly, clawing the latter at the arms and body. Teppo held on, however, enduring the continuous attacks, and just kept on moving its feet forward one by one. The Fury Swipes kept on coming like there was no tomorrow, but to everyone's surprise: the Pignite kept on pushing forward anyway!

"Would you look at that, everyone…!" said the announcer. "Kay Planer's Pignite is refusing to back down! It's not even flinching one bit from the attacks…!"

Wally gritted his teeth. 'What's going on?' he thought to himself. 'Are Paws' attacks not working on it anymore?! But it got hurt a lot during the first round, didn't it? Calm down… Paws is still dealing more damage anyway.'

Kay kept quiet the whole time, however, and just looked on as her Pignite was doing as she told it to do. 'Just a little bit more…' she thought. 'Almost there…!'

Paws kept on attacking, and every time Teppo closed in, it would jump back and wait for it to come closer before keeping the fire pig at bay again with Fury Swipes and Slashes. Again, Teppo refused to fight back. The exchange repeated itself for a little while longer.

That was, until…

Teppo closed in, and Paws prepared to back away once more! But… "….!?" Suddenly, Paws found itself unable to move further backwards. What was going on? "Meowth…?" The cat Pokemon looked to its side… and only realized it had just backed into the barrier surrounding the Battle Ring! "…!?"

"What…?!" Wally gasped. "When did-…?!"

"Whoa…!" The announcer and everyone else were just as surprised as well. "Wally Bailey's Meowth has no more room to move back to…!"

"Paws!" Wally called out. "Get out of there…!"

It was time.

"Teppo…!" Kay finally called out. "Now! Don't let it get away from there…!"

The Pignite let out its battle cry, and right before the Meowth tried to step aside, Teppo sidestepped in the same direction to get in its way. Paws tried to escape to the other, only for Teppo to block it from doing so. Then the Meowth tried to just jump over the fire pig... but it came to realize just how small its 1'04" self was compared to its 3'03" opponent. To the cornered Meowth, it looked like Teppo was literally towering over it!

Wally's eyes widened. 'N, No way…' he thought worryingly. 'This… This is what Kay Planer was planning for all along…?!'

Kay was fired up! "Teppo!" she called out. "Now's our chance! Use Arm Thrust…!"

The same fire lit up in the Pignite's eyes! It threw its own clawed hand forward, straightening them so only its palm would strike forward. The Meowth stepped aside to dodge it, but was then taken by surprise when the Pignite threw its other palm at it! The Arm Thrusts kept on coming this time, blocking the Meowth's escape left and right! Eventually, one Arm Thrust struck the Meowth in the side of its head, forcing the cat scratch Pokemon to go on the defensive. It crossed its arms in front of it, but like it did to Teppo earlier, it was getting hit by a barrage of attacks that looked endless!

Suzie stood up from her seat in panic. "P, Paws…!"

Sodo smirked. "Heh, her plan worked." He then leaned back against his seat. "That girl did her research apparently; she knew the Meowth was naturally faster than a Pignite to begin with so giving it a lot of room to move around in was not going to do her and her Pokemon any favors." He crossed his arms. "But she knows her Pignite is bigger, heavier, and definitely stronger, and it definitely won't win in a straightforward fight. That Meowth… had just turned into a cornered Rattata!"

The Arm Thrusts kept coming and despite Wally trying to call out to his Pokemon to move away, Teppo was strongly against allowing it to do so. After some time, the Meowth's arms felt weak from trying to block against Teppo's incredible arm strength; one more Arm Thrust later… and Paws arms flew sideways! Teppo had broken through its guard!

Wally cried out to his Pokemon, but so did Kay.

"Now, Teppo…!" she shouted. "Use... **Fire Punch**…!"

Now was the time! Teppo's eyes burned with a fiery fighting spirit; it tightened its hands into fists, and in a split second, its right was ignited with a ball of red-orange fire! It stomped its left foot forward, shifted its feet, twisted its waist, and soon the Pignite came throwing its fiery right fist forward while putting its whole body behind it!

The Meowth was not able to block it in time.

**BASH!**

The burning ball of fist nailed the smaller Pokemon squarely in the face! The punch pushed the Meowth into the barrier behind it, causing it to vibrate from the sheer power. The entire stadium was silenced, watching as the Meowth was slammed between the Pignite's fist of fire and the Battle Ring's psychic wall of energy. Teppo eventually withdrew its fist, and the fire surrounding it flickered away just as the cat Pokemon slid down the barrier and into a limped sitting position.

And the crowd burst into cheers! "F-Fire Punch…!" the announcer cried out. "Within just a few minutes, Kay Planer and her Pignite managed to turn the tables around…! And that Fire Punch came unexpectedly and incredibly! So much that it silenced the entire stadium and knocked down Wally Bailey's Meowth! Will it be able to continue battling?!"

Suzie and her family were in complete shock, with Suzie trying to keep herself from bursting into tears for their Pokemon. "P-Paws…" she stuttered. "No…."

The refereeing Mr. Mime stepped between Teppo and the downed Paws, and told the former to back away while the human referee outside the Battle Ring started to make the count.

"One…! Two…! Three…!"

Leader Dempsey could not help but feel relieved. 'That was a good strategy, Kid,' he thought. 'You used your Pokemon's strengths wonderfully…!'

Leader Summers, on the other hand, was looking pale. 'That's it…' he thought, feeling a sweat drip down the side of his head. 'We didn't know Kay Planer's Pignite had that sort of move in its arsenal… and that kind of attacking power could most probably even take down Pokemon larger than itself. For Paws to take that sort of attack like that…'

The referee continued: "Four…! Five…! Six…!"

Wally tightened his fists as he stood on his podium. 'There's no way Paws could stand back up from that…' Wally thought. 'If only we had kept training for the rest of the year… We would have probably been more prepared…'

"Se-…!" But the referee suddenly stopped counting.

To everyone's surprise, Wally's Meowth was actually starting to stand back up! It was trembling, and its legs were definitely shaking. There was no denying that the damage dealt to it was heavy, so it was surprising the smaller Pokemon could even move after that.

"Paws…" Wally was in disbelief as well.

And Suzie and her family watched on too.

The referee continued his count, but at the count of nine the Meowth was able to go into its fighting stance! The crowd roared in respect. The Mr. Mime checked the Pokemon over, but judging from its expression the barrier Pokemon was still trying to come up with a decision on whether or not to allow the Meowth to continue battling.

Kay didn't look all too happy about it though. 'If it gets up now…'

And Leader Summers thought about the same thing as he smiled watching his Trainer's Pokemon. 'This is a good chance for us…!' he thought, his attention soon shifting to the timer on one of the big screens. 'There's only forty seconds left before the round ends…! If Wally's Meowth can just keep it up…'

Leader Dempsey glowered at the same possibility. '… they will have time to heal the damage dealt to it. And what's worse is that they definitely won't allow themselves to fall for the same strategy again. Not to mention by the next round, they can just use Fake Out again to stall time. They're definitely leading by points because of those attacks from their Meowth earlier too…'

And Wally came to that sudden realization. '… then we can still win by decision!' "Paws…!" he called out. "Just hold on for a little while longer…!"

And some fans were on the Meowth's side as well.

"You can do it…!" shouted a fan. "Just a couple more seconds…!"

And of course there were some on the Pignite's side.

"Careful, Pignite…! The Meowth isn't done yet…!"

After some deliberation, the Mr. Mime threw its hands to the sides, signaling that it's allowing the Meowth to continue battling - much to the delight of some of the crowd!

"Such fighting spirit…!" exclaimed the announcer. "Despite facing an opponent stronger and bigger than it is, Wally Bailey's Meowth refused to go down! And with only forty seconds left for the second round…!"

And when the ring bell was rung, Kay and Teppo looked worried.

"Teppo!" Kay called out. "Use Fire Punch…!"

Teppo's fist ignited in flames once more before it threw a straight right, but the Meowth leaned away just in time to avoid it. Instead of trying to attack it, the Meowth backed away… and seemed to have no intention of approaching its opponent anymore.

"Paws!" called out Wally. "Keep away from the barrier and keep away from the Pignite…!"

The Meowth did as it was told and started moving a lot more around the Battle Ring, causing the Pignite to make a desperate chase. However, it was clear to both their Trainers that both Pokemon were hurt from the other's earlier attacks; the two Pokemon were slower – not to mention with Teppo running around, it couldn't put as much power in its attacks like earlier.

"You can do it, Paws…!" Sam cheered from her seat. "You're the strongest Meowth I've ever known…!"

"Go, Wally!" her parents cheered out. "You can win…!"

Suzie watched her family getting into it, and the whole sight brought a smile to her face. She then suddenly stood back up from her seat, and took a deep breath. "Big Brother…! Paws…!" she shouted out. "You two can do this!"

Wally heard them all. 'Do you hear that, Paws?' Wally thought. 'Our family's cheering for us…! Even Mom and Dad… and to think they didn't believe we could go far together. That's why you stood back up, right? You're fighting for all of us – you're fighting for your family. I don't know just how much more you can take… but…' Wally smiled, and then looked back at his Pokemon. "Keep at it, Paws! Just a few more seconds left…!"

Kay looked on, but she didn't allow herself to lose her cool. 'We can't lose here…' she thought. 'Not after everything we've been through… Inez and Blaze are probably watching too. Everyone… And Dad… because of me, he's had to take in some of my share of the farm work… We can't allow everything we've done to be for nothing…! At least… At least I want us to go back home… and see Dad happy when we tell him we won…!'

Teppo kept on chasing, but while it's grazing the Meowth here and there none of its attacks was getting a direct hit. Then the timer was down to twenty seconds left... But Teppo kept on trying to close the distance between the Meowth and itself, but to no avail. Unfortunately… one of them felt the damage it suffered coming back to haunt it.

"…!?"

Paws knees buckled under its weight, causing it to stop in its back-stepping prematurely! And Teppo stepped forward at that time, actually landing a single Arm Thrust into the side of Paws' head! The attack caused the Meowth to flinch!

"No…!" Wally snapped. "Paws, endure it! Only fifteen more seconds…!"

But Teppo took this chance to keep on attacking, unleashing a barrage of Arm Thrusts onto the Meowth, who was actually pushing itself into enduring all the attacks. But the weakened Pokemon soon found its guard broken through again, and an Arm Thrust – albeit weaker - struck it in the face once more! And then another…! And then another…!

"Six more seconds…!" Wally cried out.

"Teppo…!" Kay called out, her eyes quickly darting from the timer and then back to the Battle Ring. "Use Fire Punch…!"

"N, Nite…!" And the Pignite balled its hand into a fiery fist once more! But right before it got even halfway into throwing it…

"MIME…!" The Mr. Mime referee stepped in front of it!

"….?!" Kay's eyes widened. "We're too late…!"

Wally and Summers were relieved! 'We made it…!' thought Wally. 'Now all we-… huh?'

But then he saw his Meowth slowly falling backwards, and the Mr. Mime quickly turned its head around, making it clear that it didn't stop Teppo because the round was over. And Wally Bailey's Meowth fell limp on its back in the middle of the Battle Ring…

… completely knocked out.

The Mr. Mime looked the Meowth over… and then crossed its arms over its head!

The match was over!

"T, The Mr. Mime referee is crossing its arms!" burst out the announcer. "The battle is over! The winner by knockout… **Kay Planer and her Pignite**…!"

The crowd once again exploded into cheers, while Wally, Summers, Suzie and her family were completely silenced. Wally's eyes moved towards the timer, seeing that there was only three seconds left before the second round would have ended. However, seeing his fallen Pokemon lying in the middle of the ring, pushed him to quickly climb down from his podium and run towards it. The Meowth, only then slowly regaining its consciousness, looked around it in confusion.

"Paws…!" Wally knelt down next to it. "Paws, we… We…" The Meowth didn't understand at first, but soon it came to the realization: they had lost. "I'm sorry… If only we had been prepared more…"

"Meowth… Mrowr…?" But then it heard someone calling out to it.

"That was awesome, Paws!" a fan shouted. "That was the best you've ever done…!"

"Don't lose spirit, Bailey!" another fan shouted. "If you come back we'll definitely come to watch you and your Meowth battle again! Don't give up…!"

Suzie and her family were not expecting this. Even though Wally had lost, the crowd was still cheering for them. Then she mustered up her courage, put her hands around her lips… "BIG BROTHER…!" she shouted. "YOU WERE GREAT! YOU TWO WERE…!"

"Go, Big Brother…!" Sam cheered on after. "And you were great too, Paws! Go, go…!"

Wally and Paws looked around them, surprised at this – this was the first time they were cheered on like this despite losing – it felt so surreal. Then he sensed someone walking up to him – it was Kay and her Pignite.

"That… That was a very good battle…!" she said, then awkwardly extending her hand. "I knew that I would be facing someone strong tonight…" That comment seemed to have caught Wally by surprise. "So… thank you for a good Pokemon Battle…"

Wally stared at her hand for a while, and after some time, gladly accepted her handshake, much to the delight of everyone in the stadium. Her Pignite would do the same with Meowth, with both Pokemon showing respect for each other. Wally soon returned Meowth to its Pokeball, and soon went on his way. He didn't say much to Kay, but he did give her one last wave of his hand before leaving the Battle Stage entirely, followed by his Gym Leader and a round of applause from the crowd.

Kay then turned her attention to her Pignite. "Good job, Teppo…" she said, resting her head on its head. "We did it… We actually did it. Together!"

"Nite…!" The Pokemon's own smile was as wide as ever.

But then they noticed something: the crowd was suddenly getting quieter, and for some reason they were all staring at them.

"What are you doing?" Leader Dempsey asked, stepping in to stand next to the two. "They're waiting for you; go on and raise your hands, both of you."

"Raise our hands…?" Kay blinked. "Okay…"

Kay and Teppo slowly raised their hands, and was then startled as the crowd once again burst into applause and cheering.

"That Pignite of yours sure is powerful…!" a fan shouted out. "Congrats on your Pokemon Battle debut, Planer!"

"We'll definitely come and see your battles again…!' shouted another. "That Fire Punch was incredible! Show us that again in your next battle, alright!?"

Kay and Teppo were in awe – the crowd was actually cheering for them! They didn't even know what to do or say in return! Instead they just responded in the only way they knew how: by bowing politely.

"T, Thank you very much…!" cried out Kay, before she and Teppo continued bowing to the other sides of the stadium. "T, Thank you very much…!"

Some of the fans actually found that amusing.

"Haha! You're very polite…! You really are a good girl, Kay Planer…!"

Sodo, Tessa and Parker watched on with their own smiles.

The others, however… "Plainer won! Plainer won!" cheered Vicky as she jumped around in glee. "I can't believe it…!"

"That was so awesome…!" Nicky cried out. "It's too bad Wally Bailey lost but that Fire Punch was seriously cool! I can't get it out of my head…!"

"That Plainer really got us worried for nothing!" laughed Terry.

However, the three girls soon realized their own excitement, and quickly calmed themselves down by pretending neither of them said all that.

"W, Why are you two getting so excited for?" Terry asked, crossing her arms. "I mean, seriously…" But the three girls all looked on with little smiles on their faces, seeing Kay looking genuinely happy in the Battle Ring. "Still… I can't believe that she's this good. To think before this we picked on her…"

Nicky nodded. "Yeah… Plainer really is strong, isn't she?"

* * *

Back inside the Stadium, Leader Summers and Wally walked along the hallway, but soon the latter stopped, gritting his teeth with regret. "We still couldn't win…" said Wally, trying to hold in his tears. "… we did everything we could… but we still couldn't win. This is now our third loss this year… But as promised… I…"

Leader Summers scoffed, however. "What are you looking down for?" he asked. "So we lost tonight… That just means we'll need to train harder for the next one."

Wally slowly lifted his head. "… next one…?"

"Everyone saw how your Pokemon was able to stand toe-to-toe with a Pokemon like that Pignite," he said. "And with some more training, your Meowth will become that much stronger – I can guarantee it. Besides… I doubt you'll have as much trouble training now, especially since your family will be here to support you now." Leader Summers cocked his head to the side.

Wally turned his head, and to his surprise, his whole family was there! "E, Everyone…"

"Why are you looking so gloomy?" asked Suzie, flashing a smile. "You won't look cool with that expression. Come on, chin up! We'll help you out with your next Pokemon Battle! You can leave taking care of Sam to me!" His sister soon walked up to stand next to him. "But in return you'll have to buy me my favorite ice-cream a lot more~!"

"What…?" Wally asked. "But that's…"

"Don't worry about us, son." His father stepped up this time. "I will make sure to find work as soon as possible so you can concentrate on your own goals. As a family, we'll support each other whether you want us to or not."

Sam was next, but she quickly hugged around her older brother's leg. "You made Paws look really cool today, Big Brother!" she said. "I'll help out too, okay?"

"And I'll make sure you and your Pokemon eat right," said his mother. "If you're going to keep training, you and Paws are going to have to stay as fit as you two are now. You've taken care of us… so now you're going to have to let us take care of you in return."

Wally was speechless, but when he felt tears running down his cheek, he quickly rubbed them away with his arm. But he couldn't help but smile at the same time. "Thank you, everyone…" he said. "I promise I'll do even better from now on…!"

* * *

Kay and Leader Dempsey finally stepped out of the Pokemon Stadium while the other battles were still scheduled to continue. Her battle against Wally Bailey was so intense that she actually forgot she was only in the opening match of the night. They could have chosen to stay, but Kay needed to make sure that Teppo get to a nearby Pokemon Center to treat the rest of its bruises and wounds. She turned her head, staring up at the Battle Stadium.

"Oy!" a familiar voice called out. "Figured you two were planning on leaving!" It was Sodo, with the others following him from behind. "So, Kay? What did you think of your first official Pokemon Battle?"

"It was…" Kay stuttered a bit. "… it was harder than I thought."

Suddenly, Sodo, Tessa and Parker started laughing, much to Kay's surprise!

"And that was against a Meowth…!" exclaimed Sodo. "It looked really funny how your Pokemon was having trouble with a Pokemon that much smaller than it! It was damn funny!" But his mockery was soon stopped by Leader Dempsey, who struck him in the head with his cane. "OW! What the heck was that for, Old Man?!"

"You keep letting that rude mouth of yours talk…!" scolded Leader Dempsey. "What the heck were you thinking talking about some 'Champion Bust' to a high schooler?! She and anyone else could very well report you for sexual harassment, you damn perverted idiot!"

And there Kay had already forgotten about that…

But just as quickly, the three other Trainers calmed themselves down, and gave Kay smiles.

"So how does it feel, Kay?" asked Tessa. "On winning your first official Pokemon Battle?"

Kay sheepishly nodded. "It… feels great. Wally Bailey and his Meowth were so much stronger than we thought… so I'm really relieved we've actually won." Dempsey stayed quiet but he nodded approvingly. "There's still so much for me to learn in Pokemon Battling… but I hope you all can continue to guide me and Teppo!"

"Of course!" said Parker. "We'll help you train as much as you want! But right now…" Parker grinned. "Let's party…!"

"Eh?" Kay flustered. "B, But I have to get to a Pokemon Center and then go home…! It's really late…!"

"Come on!" said Tessa, stepping in to push on Kay from behind. "We'll stop by a Pokemon Center on our way! It won't take long! We definitely need to drink to celebrate your first victory as a Pokemon Trainer…!"

"B, But I'm still underage…!"

Leader Dempsey and Charles watched as the others pulled Kay away from the stadium, with Charles finding it amusing – though he knew he needed to go with them to make sure they don't actually force Kay to drink any alcohol. Leader Dempsey would be the last to follow after.

'I'm glad we won…' Kay thought to herself, eyeing the Battle Stadium. 'Thank you very much…!'

* * *

**Kay Planer's Pokemon Battle Record: 1 Win; 0 Losses**

**Winner by KO vs. Wally Bailey **

**(Round 2: 7 minutes 57 Seconds)**

* * *

**FazzEagle: **And that was the end of the Pokemon Battle, everyone! With Kay Planer and her Pignite winning in the second round by knockout! Both Trainers and Pokemon gave it their all and in the end they walked out having genuine respect for each other, and despite their loss, Wally and his Meowth will continue Pokemon Battling thanks to the support of his family. What does Inez think about her rival Pokemon Battle debut? Perhaps we will learn it from herself soon! Next chapter we take another break from all the battling!

... to allow Kay to focus on another kind of 'battle'.

But keep on reading because it won't be long before the story reveals the first OC submitted by one of the readers that will face Kay - though definitely not in the next chapter, I assure you. Remember? Resting from the Pokemon Battling?

Also, a reminded to the OCs - though this is my bad for not mentioning it earlier - but it would help me if you all include your Trainer's Gym Leaders. Unless, of course, you want me to make some up for them. At the moment, however, **I am not accepting any OCs that intends to join Dempsey's Gym**. A little info on Gyms in this story:

1. Gyms are not necessarily focused on a particular Type of Pokemon, but that does personally come down to the Gym Leader themselves.

2. There are several Gyms around, instead of like just one in every town/city.

3. I do not intend to use any existing Gym Leaders from either the game or the anime.

4. Gym Leaders can choose to come as their Trainer's Support during Pokemon Battles.

5. Gyms are named after the Gym Leader's surname/family name (for example: Ask Ketchum would be 'Ketchum Gym').

That's all. Don't forget to review to tell me what you think of the battle!


	19. A Different Battle!

**Chapter 19 – A Different Battle!**

The sun started to rise; at the same time the alarm clock started ringing.

The Planer's house echoed with the sound of the latter, but instead of the one intended for it, it was her father who woke up from the noise. He knocked on her bedroom door, calling out his daughter's name, but the only response he got were more sounds from that increasingly annoying alarm. He excused himself, slowly pushing the door open, which only caused the sound of the clock to blare through. He moved to his daughter's desk; with just one push of a button, the noise was finally put to rest.

It was then that he turned to look at the floor, only to find Kay still sleeping – albeit with a pillow over her head. Teppo was lying next to her, and much like the girl, the Pignite ignored the alarm, but hid its head under Kay's quilt.

"Kay…?" he called out. "Kay, it's time to wake up; you have school today, remember?"

The usually obedient girl mumbled and whined underneath her pillow, especially when her father tried nudging her awake. He tried to do the same to her Pokemon, but the fire pig stubbornly crawled further into the quilt instead, much to his dismay.

Thomas sweat-dropped.

But he could not blame his daughter for behaving this way anyway; they did come back home late last night after celebrating their victory after all. Though he did not attend to watch her Pokemon Battle debut, the way she told him about it when they returned home was clear enough that they at least enjoyed it. She told him how her opponent was 'strong', and how she believed that she could not have won it if it had not for her Pignite and everyone's support.

'Aren't you forgetting about someone?' thought her father, chuckling a little.

Some time later, both Kay and Teppo finally gave up and woke up. Many months back they would have been able to wake up in the morning as early as five easily with or without an alarm clock; now it was just common occurrence that they mostly wake up still looking tired, especially Kay who was now used to greeting the early day with messy hair.

Though Teppo would stay at home today to get some well-deserved rest, Kay was not allowed to ignore the fact that she was, in fact, still a high school student, and for that she still had to attend school. Thankfully for the father, Kay hardly ever tried to walk away from her responsibilities – tired or otherwise.

Once both Kay and Teppo had a proper bath, and once Kay had changed into her school uniform, the two would enjoy some breakfast together in the living room as usual. That made her wonder, however: did the battle last night actually happened? It just seemed unbelievable to her. The Battle Stadium; the crowd; the Pokemon Battle; Wally Bailey – it felt so unreal and yet the images were so clearly etched in her mind.

'And now I'm a ranked Pokemon Trainer...!' Kay thought happily to herself as she bit into a piece of bread. 'Being 29 isn't a big deal though… but now Teppo and I can officially start chasing after Inez and Blaze. Speaking of Inez… I wonder if she was watching last night…? I hope I didn't make us look too bad in the first round…'

"Nite…?" The Pignite tilted its head, noticing Kay looking sulky for some reason.

"Alright," said Kay as she finally finished putting on her shoes at the doorstep. "I'll be back in the afternoon to help out with the farm." Standing up, she straightened down her skirt. Once she approved it, she turned around, facing her father and her fire pig Pokemon with a smile. "Teppo, you need to rest today but if you want, you can help Dad a little."

Thomas chuckled. "Don't worry about us," he said, patting the fire pig on the head. "You just make sure you don't tire yourself too much too; we'll be here waiting for you as always. Have a safe trip, Kay."

Kay nodded, and then knelt down to Pignite's eye level. "You'll be good, won't you, Teppo?" she asked. "Remember what Leader Dempsey said about being careful not to overexert yourself. I'll be back once school ends, okay?"

The Pignite did not respond right away, instead staring at her with a vague expression. It did nod its head while flashing a smile of its own eventually though.

"I knew I could count on you," said Kay with a giggle, rubbing the Pignite's head. "Well, I'll be going now. I'll see you two later!" And with that, Kay gave her family a wave and walked out of the door, closing it behind her after. Once outside she took a deep breath, and then started walking away from her house. 'it still feels like any other day…' Kay thought to herself. A smile then found its way to her. '… and at the same time things feel so different.'

Eventually she walked into the village, politely greeting several people on the way as usual. However, none of them made any mention or asked about her Pokemon Battle last night; not that she was strongly hoping for otherwise, but she couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed.

'I guess they probably wouldn't know much about it anyway…'

Finally she reached her bus stop, but the bus was not here yet – in fact, she was the only one there. Then, a curious thought came: 'Teppo and I have been running to the city and back many times by now… I've never tried doing that for school though. Leader Dempsey said not to tire myself… but then again we won't be having any Pokemon Training today so…'

She looked around her, making sure no one was around. Then she cautiously stepped away from the bus stop, and faced the road leading to the city. She planted her feet onto the ground… raised her arms readying herself…

And off she-

"Oh, Kay, good morning!"

Kay almost fell over!

It was just Mr. Brown – just someone else from the village she tended to make light conversations with every now and then.

"Oh… Hi there, Mr. Brown…" Kay greeted, giving him an awkward smile as she quickly straightened herself. "Heading to the city already…?"

But in her head, she sighed in disappointment; then again perhaps it was for the best anyway.

* * *

She arrived to her school much like any other day.

It was now clear to her that no one from her school probably came to watch the Pokemon Battles at the Battle Stadium last night – not that there were any big name Trainers competing or anything; perhaps it only felt like a bigger deal because it **was** her Pokemon Battle debut and all, she thought. At that realization, Kay entered her classroom with a heavy sigh.

There were some people greeting her as always, to which Kay would return them with her own, but then they would always go back to what they were doing, leaving Kay to eventually sit alone until the first class would start.

But something different happened.

"Hey, Planer." One of her male classmates actually called out to her, and was even approaching her desk! "Hey, Planer, this might sound weird but… is it true that you're actually a Pokemon Trainer?" Obviously, Kay was surprised – someone actually knew! Then she saw the newspaper in his hand. He flipped through the pages, stopping right at the sports section. Then, he pointed at a small article on one of the pages. "… is that you?"

Kay's eyes widened. The two pages were specifically for anything related to the Pokemon Battle sport. There were columns featuring interviews with famous Pokemon Trainers, articles on upcoming battles, but right now what was important was that half of one of the pages featured the Pokemon Battles last night! It showed who won and who lost, but for each battle there was a picture taken from it along with what appeared to be a short review.

'They actually have it on today's newspaper already?' thought Kay, surprised. 'That was fast…'

Finally her eyes moved to where her classmate was pointing at: there was a picture of Teppo! It was taken when Teppo slammed Wally Bailey's Meowth into the psychic barrier, but from outside and behind Paws. Kay actually thought it was a very good picture. Then, next to that picture was a photo of her in a round frame, but…

Kay flushed. 'W-Whoa…!' thought Kay. 'I can't believe I look so tense here…! That's embarrassing…!'

"Well?" her classmate asked. "That IS you, right, Planer?"

"Huh?" Kay snapped out of her thoughts. She flustered at first, but then meekly nodded her head. "Y, Yeah… That's me…"

"Wow, really?" he exclaimed before turning to wave to some others. "Hey, guys! It really is Planer on the paper!"

"That's amazing!" a girl sitting at another table said. "She's really a Pokemon Trainer?"

"And you actually battled and won at the Battle Stadium last night!" said another classmate. "How did it feel, Planer? Were ya nervous?"

Kay sheepishly lowered her head. "It felt great…" she said, smiling a little from all the attention. "… but yeah, I was feeling really nervous."

Not all of her classmates asked her about it, but it was still more people talking to her in class than she could remember! She was feeling very proud of herself, what with people asking her questions and congratulating her on her win. Unfortunately, she actually felt overwhelmed but still tried to answer them as much as she could.

* * *

But came lunch time… and she was still sitting alone in her class, while others were eating together in their own circles as usual.

'Nothing's changed at all…' thought Kay sadly.

And with a sigh, she decided to step out of the room. But when she turned to head to the direction of the stairs…

"Hey." A familiar voice called out to her. "Plain-… I mean, 'Planer'."

Kay turned around, only to find that it was Terry, Vicky and Nicky! They had not bullied her much – if at all – for a long while now, but Kay's habit of getting cautious around them had not died yet. Instinctively, Kay tightened her grip around her lunch box and hugged it closer to her. This, however, caused the other three girls to sweat-drop.

"We're not trying to take your lunch…!" Nicky snapped. "Well…" It didn't take her long to figure out why Kay would think that though. "… not this time or… you know."

But then Vicky stepped forward. "What are you having anyway~?" … which led to a thump on the head by Nicky. "Ow…! What was that for?"

"Pipe down, you two!" barked Terry, quickly getting them to stand at attention. Their 'leader' cleared her throat after. Crossing her arms, she now solely focused her eyes on Kay, flashing a slight frown. "We just want to talk to you, Planer. And don't worry about us taking your lunch 'cause we've brought ours." Kay didn't notice it at first, but Vicky and Nicky **were** carrying what appeared to be food and drinks bought from the school's canteen. "… but you know… since it's also lunch time and all… I guess… w, we'll just have to… e, eat together or whatever…"

Kay blinked. "… you want us to eat lunch together?"

"D, Don't make it sound so wrong…!" Terry snapped, only to quickly recover from it almost hesitantly. "There's nothing we can do about it, okay! Come on already! You're eating on the roof, aren't you?!"

Kay was lost and had no idea how to response to all this. Instead, she nodded, feeling like she was left without much of a choice.

* * *

This was weird.

It was true that Kay had always hoped that she could one day eat lunch with her friends, chatting about fun things like how everyone else does. But she would never expect to one day eat lunch with the three girls that had actually been bullying her for almost three of her high school years. Not to mention: Kay stood out like needle in a hay stack.

Terry – like the other two girls – had her shirt tucked out and didn't even wear the school's assigned tie; Nicky didn't even wear the school's coat properly let alone the tie, instead preferring more to just tie the former around her waist; Vicky on the other hand looked the least improper aside from how loose her tie was – that was, until Kay remembered that Vicky also wore a skirt a little shorter than what was allowed. For someone who dressed according to the school's dress code, Kay definitely felt out of place.

The four girls ate their lunches without saying a lot to each other, and not once did they actually ask Kay for anything – not even to go run down and buy them something else like usual. Yet… the atmosphere was so tense! And Kay didn't realize that the majority of the tension was actually coming from the three girls who invited themselves to eat with her in the first place.

'What's going on here…' Kay thought to herself, picking up the last bits of her rice. 'What could they want from me this time…?'

Like on cue, however…

"So…" said Nicky, breaking the awkward silence between them and apparently startling Kay a little. "… I guess you… won that Pokemon Battle last night, huh…?"

Kay didn't expect that, but nodded anyway. "Y, Yeah… We did."

"Yeah!" said Vicky. "That guy's Meowth was faster than we thought~! We almost thought you were actually going to lose on your first Pokemon Battle~! That would be such a downer."

Kay blinked.

Terry smirked. "Heh, of course a Pignite would win against a Meowth. I mean, it just got lucky with that Fake Out at the beginning of the first round after all." She nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. "And you actually looked worried, Kay!"

Kay blinked again. That was odd, she thought. "Um… I don't remember seeing it told in that much detail in the newspaper…" said Kay, to which all three girls suddenly flinched. "Could it be that…" She raised her eyes to look towards them, who all looked at other directions in return. However, Kay suddenly smiled upon figuring it out. "OH, were the three of you-…!"

"We just happened to be at the Battle Stadium…!" Terry snapped, cutting off Kay suddenly. "I, It's not like we came there for YOU. Plus we just had a lot of free time. Right, girls?"

"Yeah!" said Nicky and Vicky.

Kay blinked again. "… I was actually going to ask if you were watching the Pokemon Battles on TV…"

The three girls flinched once more.

"W, Whatever…!" said Terry angrily. But seeing the looks her two girls were giving her, she quickly calmed herself down again. "… so… anyways… how was it like, Kay…? You know… standing there at the podium… and stuff."

Again, Kay looked pretty puzzled. "I just realized… you're actually calling me by my first name-…"

"A, And what's wrong with that?!" snapped a heavily blushing Terry. "Just answer the damn question already…!"

"Well…" Kay started meekly. "It was very nerve-wrecking, that's for sure. Seeing all those people watching just made the whole stadium look a whole lot bigger… It's the first time I've ever felt that kind of pressure. And Wally Bailey and his Meowth were stronger opponent than Teppo and I thought. I was honestly worried that we could have ended up losing our very first official Pokemon Battle… So I figured that if we could stop his Meowth from moving around too much, then we could find a chance to win. But his Meowth was still able to stand up that it surprised us."

"Oh yeah…" said Nicky. "I was surprised too. I mean… that Fire Punch looked pretty brutal."

"Say, how did you teach your Pokemon how to use something like Fire Punch?" asked Vicky. "We don't see that a lot these days!"

"That's right!" said Terry. "Other than Ice Punch and Thunder Punch, Fire Punch used to be one of the more popular close-range moves!"

"Well… Teppo kind of learned it himself," Kay admitted. "But it might have something to do with how Leader Dempsey trains the both of us – he wanted us to focus on Teppo's in-fighting, especially his punches and tackles. But I'm really glad that it got us this far already."

"That's so cool…!" squealed Nicky.

"Y, Yeah…!" said Terry, looking the other way. "I guess… it IS kind of cool."

'Are they… actually complimenting me and Teppo…?' Kay thought. 'This… actually feels kind of nice…' The thought got Kay smiling before she looked back up at them. "Did… you three just want to talk to me about last night? Because… I left the stadium once my battle was over so… I didn't exactly get to see how the other battles turned out." Kay lowered her head in shame. "Sorry, Terry…"

Terry looked the girl over, but this time she didn't raise her voice or anything in response. "… not a problem," she said. "I'll just go read about them on the internet or something… But there was… something else we wanted to talk to you about."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Well… what did you get for your last test…?"

"… my Trainer License Test…?"

"No! Your class test!"

That came out of left field, Kay thought. "Well… I got an eighty five on Unova History…"

"What?!" All three girls burst out in unison. "Eighty five?!"

"But how is that even possible?" asked Nicky. "Weren't you too busy training for your Pokemon Battle debut this whole time? When did you even find the time to study?"

"Did you cheat during the test?" asked Vicky. "If so, you gotta teach me a good way to!"

"O, Of course I didn't cheat…!" Kay corrected. "I just… study when I'm not at the Gym is all. My dad and everyone at the Gym told me I shouldn't neglect my studies just because I'm a Pokemon Trainer now. So I…"

As Kay kept talking, Terry, Vicky and Nicky looked troubled.

'This is bad…' thought Terry. 'We were actually hoping that she'd be doing badly in school because of all the Pokemon Training…! How the heck was she able to keep up with her studies like that?! Is this girl EVER normal?!'

'What are we going to do now?!' thought Nicky. 'We were originally planning on asking her if she'd want to have a group study with us…! For Arceus sake, I only got thirty on MY last Unova History test!'

'Oh no~…' thought Vicky. 'We can't hang out together at this rate~…!'

'There's only one way…!' the three girls thought in unison! 'It's embarrassing… but this is **our last resort**!' The three girls suddenly moved to sit together and face Kay, who was startled. "Kay!" And they even called out to her at the same time!

"W, What is it?" asked Kay, suddenly getting worried.

… and they all suddenly bowed to her.

"**Please help us study**…!" said the three girls, with Terry and Nicky blushing the most. "Please!"

"…eh…?" Needless to say, Kay was completely dumbfounded.

* * *

**FazzEagle: **And there you go, readers! Kay's next battle is not in the Battle Stadium, but in her school! And to her surprise, she's actually hanging out with the three people who had made her life difficult since her first year in high school, but even more surprising is that they're actually asking for HER help. Looks like Kay's dream of spending time with her school mates may still possibly come true - granted it's not exactly going how she imagined it. Terry, Nicky and Vicky were always Kay's tormentors in school, but I do enjoy their character development. Much like how Kay wanted to change herself, so are Terry and the girls. Here's a little rundown of each girl's concept though: Terry is their leader, but mostly because she's richer than the other two and bolder in personality; Nicky would be your tomboy who thinks breaking the rules makes her 'cool'; Vicky... well... she's like a spoiled child but at times doesn't seem to find speaking up her mind as embarrassing as the other two - though she can just be as rude.

Keep on reading to find out what will happen next!

And please review to tell me what you think!


	20. Study On! High School Girls!

**Chapter 20 – Study On, High School Girls!**

"I see…" said Kay's father on the phone's hand set. "Hm? Oh, no, it's alright; don't worry about us! Haha… Have fun then. We'll see you when you get back. Bye." He slowly put the handset down, hanging up – though he couldn't help but feel curious. "That's the first time she's ever called me for something like that…"

"Pignite?" Teppo walked out from around the nearby corner with an anticipating smile. "Nite…! Pignite…!" It sure looked excited.

"Yes, that was Kay, Teppo," said Thomas as he turned to face his daughter's Pokemon. "But… I'm afraid she's not coming home yet." Hearing that, Teppo's ears dropped, and so did its smile. Seeing this, Thomas affectionately rubbed his hand on its head. "She said she'll be home as soon as she's done. It's just… it's the first time I've heard her mention something like that."

Teppo tilted its head. "Nite..?"

"… a group study."

* * *

Kay finally hung up on the phone, and let out a sigh as she silently apologized to Teppo and her father for not keeping her word to return home. With a somewhat heavy heart – given the circumstances – Kay stepped out of the phone booth, meeting up with Terry, Nicky and Vicky, who were waiting for her outside the whole entire time.

"Sorry about that…" said Kay with a light smile. "So… where should we go and study…?"

"Wherever you want, Kay!" said Terry with a grin. "I mean… since you're the one that's going to teach us anyway."

"Yeah!" said Nicky. "Just pick out a place that you like! You know… like a café or something!"

Kay blinked. "Well… a place where we can study, huh…" Then Kay got an idea, and smiled to the three. "Oh, I know just the place! A place where we can all relax and focus on studying…" She turned away, getting ready to lead them. "Come on, I'll take you there."

And as she walked, so did the other three girls.

'This is so strange…' thought Kay. 'They used to bully me so much but now… Could it be that… Ah!' A thought came to her, which caused her cheeks to show some color. 'Maybe… Maybe they want to be friends now?' The thought made her smile. 'I don't know why but… if that's the case then… I guess I wouldn't mind that at all…' Unbeknownst to the three girls, the rest of the thoughts got Kay cheekily grinning.

The three girls behind her followed after her, each with smiles of their own. It was difficult, but it seemed Kay was starting to not see them as her bullies anymore. Perhaps, eventually, she could probably start seeing them as her 'friends', they thought.

But…

'Finally…!' all three girls thought in unison. 'We finally got her to hang out with us…!'

'Sorry, Planer…' thought Vicky with a smile. 'But now that you've worked hard to become a good Pokemon Trainer, we want to make things different…'

'We know we've bullied you a lot…' thought Nicky. 'But seeing you and your Pokemon battle at the Battle Stadium convinced us that you're not weak at all… so…'

'We know you can get far as a Pokemon Trainer, Kay…!' Terry thought, soon making herself grin. 'And that's why we…'

And then all three of them shouted in their heads in unison: "… **WE WANT IN ON THE GLORY**!" And the three girls giggled quietly to themselves.

'Think about it~!' Vicky continued thinking to herself. 'If her Pokemon gets more attention, she'll probably one day be featured in all sorts of media outlets…! She might even get famous…!' And Vicky started imagining herself and Kay pictured on a magazine cover… but with Vicky hogging the space. 'As her 'friends'… we'll get chances to shine too!'

'And not to mention that she'll probably meet the top ranked Pokemon Trainers one day…!' thought Nicky. 'It'd be such a blast if we get to be there when she meets them!' And she imagined herself shaking hands with another Pokemon Trainer instead of Kay herself. 'Not to mention that I could get their autographs too…!'

'Let's not forget the most important thing…' thought Terry. 'If she keeps winning her battles, then she'll keep earning more prize money! And knowing her… she probably wouldn't mind treating us to things like gifts or even restaurants…! So we can't just let her go that easily…!'

And together they all cried out with joy in their heads: 'Not when she can get us all those things for free…!'

Kay turned her head to the side to look behind her, and noticed the three girls looking so happy. 'Wow, they look so happy…' thought Kay. 'Is it because they actually like hanging out with me…? I wonder if we can actually be friends one day…'

'I can't wait…!' Now all four girls thought of the same thing!

… sort of.

* * *

"…"

They had finally arrived at that 'good place to relax and study' that Kay mentioned earlier. They thought she was taking them to a quiet café or even a fast food restaurant, but to their surprise and disappointment, Kay had taken them to none other than… the library.

"Here we are!" said Kay, who was the only one who looked the most genuinely excited. "It's very quiet in the library… plus they have all sorts of books that we could use for referencing…! I should know because… well…' Feeling a little embarrassed, she looked the other way with her cheeks flushing slightly. '… I… sometimes come here on my own to study lots of times.' She fiddled with her fingers a little, and then shyly looked back up at them. "What… do you think…?"

The three girls had to force themselves to smile.

"I didn't expect this place," Nicky chuckled.

"But wow!" said Vicky, clasping her hands together. "I never would have thought of that!"

"Yeah…" Terry added. "And you're right, Kay – we'll definitely be able to study properly here!"

Listening to their responses, Kay beamed, and with the happiest smile the three girls had ever seen her with she went straight to walking into the library. The three girls dropped the facades for a moment to let out a heavy sigh before forcing themselves to follow after her.

'This is all going to be worth it…' they mentally told themselves.

After some time had passed, Kay had them all sit at a table, to which Kay mentioned was her usual table unless there were other people already sitting on it. There were definitely a lot of people walking around there, but all Terry, Nicky and Vicky could think of was hoping that no one they knew saw them sitting here like this. Kay was the first one to take out her textbook on Unova History, until another thought came to her.

"I know a good book that can help us revise…" said Kay, her smile still not leaving her. "I'll go and get it." And she hummed a tune to herself as she moved away from the table and towards one of the shelves there.

"This is not how I pictured it…" groaned Vicky. "We're actually going to spend the afternoon studying! Why didn't you say anything, Terry?"

"I didn't want to discourage her!" said Vicky in a hushed voice. "I mean it was hard enough to get her to trust us…!"

But then Nicky waved her hand, signaling to the other two that Kay was coming back.

"Here they are," said Kay. "And looks like they have exactly four copies of this book - isn't that great?"

"Wow…" chuckled Terry weakly. "We sure are lucky."

Kay proceeded to give each of them a copy of the book, much to their dismay that Kay was obviously oblivious to. From what they could understand from what Kay was saying, the book summarized a lot of the important points in the history of Unova – not that Kay's 'former' bullies cared. Kay happily flipped open her book, but secretly peeked at the three girls… who didn't look as happy as they did earlier. Perhaps they didn't know how to use it, Kay thought.

"Um… how about you tell me which part of Unova history you don't understand?"

"H, Huh…?" Terry snapped out of her thoughts, returning back to smiling weakly at Kay. "Well, uh… I guess… a lot of them…? I didn't do so well in my last Unova History test…"

"Neither did I…" said Nicky, rubbing the back of her head. "I guess I didn't… study very well…?"

"I didn't even take it!" said Vicky, laughing it off. "I got bored so I fell asleep during the test hehe…"

Kay sweat-dropped, and then looked cautiously at the three girls. "What… What exactly were your makrs…?"

Nicky: "Thirty."

Terry: "Forty five…"

Vicky: "A big fat zeeeero~!"

And suddenly all four of them went quiet as the atmosphere suddenly went awkward. "W, Well, it's still not too late…!" said Kay, trying to reassure them by smiling as much as she could. "If we all work together, we can all definitely get good grades…! So uh… uh… L, Let's go read Page 20 in the summary book. Some things there always come out as questions in our tests recently…"

And so the three girls flipped open their books half-heartedly.

An actual hour had passed and all four of them were still in the library, with the obvious three still struggling to memorize what they were reading. In fact, Vicky actually dozed off at one point and had to be woken up by an irate Nicky, who was stopped from drawing on the books by an irate Terry – of course, it was Kay who asked him to do that. Kay wasn't exactly happy either; since she had never studied with friends before she wasn't exactly sure how to properly 'teach' them.

Now they were even attempting to answer some of the sample questions printed in the library books – of course on a separate paper and with difficulty for all of them except Kay.

"Come on, Planer…" moaned Nicky. "Can't we just memorize the questions and answers? I mean… Pretty sure some of these would come out in the finals."

"B, But we can't…" said Kay. "What if they don't? And even if they do, they might word both the questions and their answers differently so as to not make them too obvious. The best way is to learn and understand it… so that way you can tackle the questions no matter how or where they come at you." Kay then chuckled to herself. "I guess… in a way… it's kind of like Pokemon Battling."

"Eh, really?" Vicky asked. "But studying is so much harder… I mean, in Pokemon Battling, you just need to know which moves are the strongest to use against your opponents, right?"

"Well… yes, but that's not necessarily the best strategy. I mean, if you tell your Pokemon to just stick to the strongest move it has, then you can definitely deal a lot of damage to the opponents. But… if that move doesn't exactly hit, then your Pokemon could get in trouble, leaving it open for your opponent's Pokemon to counter you and not to mention exhaust your Pokemon quicker than usual."

"Wow… I… I guess you do have a point there."

"Is that why you didn't tell your Pokemon to use Fire Punch the whole time?" asked Terry. "I mean… that Fire Punch had that much power, but you just kept telling your Pokemon to use Arm Thrust. Is it because you didn't want to exhaust it?"

Kay nodded. "Yeah, but also because I wasn't sure if Teppo was ready to use Fire Punch too much. Since I thought that I was going to face someone strong, I had to be more cautious. Such as… how I didn't expect Wally Bailey's Meowth to use a Fake Out: it really surprised me because both Teppo and I weren't prepared for that."

"Ah! I got it!" cried Vicky, who suddenly stood up.

"V, Vicky…!" Kay called out in a hushed voice of her own. "Y, You can't raise your voice like that in the library…!"

Vicky blinked, and looking around her she quickly noticed some people staring at her. "O, Oh… My bad." She stuck out her tongue and rubbed the back of her head. "But I know what you're trying to tell us, Planer…" whispered Vicky with a smile. "If we stuck with just using the answers and questions we memorized, then we'll be lucky if they come out for the exams. But! If neither of them comes out as question, then we'd be in serious trouble! That's what you meant by how a Trainer shouldn't stick to just their Pokemon's strongest moves, right?"

"Oh!" gasped Nicky. "I… I think I get it too! And about not being sure if your Pokemon can use Fire Punch too much… You were trying to tell us that we shouldn't overestimate ourselves and be content with just sticking to what we can memorize!"

"OH, I think I get it now…" said Terry. "And like how you got surprised by that Meowth's Fake Out... it's like how we get surprised if a question or topic we didn't study about comes out in the exams, which causes us to flinch!"

"Right?" All three girls asked at the same time, suddenly looking pumped up.

Kay was actually surprised – not because they literally interpreted what she said in relation to a Pokemon Battle and actually making sense, but also due to the fact that Kay herself didn't mean it to be seen that way!

"W, Wow…!" said Kay, clapping her fingers. "T, That's amazing…! I didn't even think about them like that…!"

"Huh?" asked Terry. "You didn't…?"

Kay shook her head. "And you three looked really into it too! That's so creative…!"

Vicky blushed, and looked the other way while fiddling with her hair. "T, Thanks…" Though she couldn't help but wonder: 'I'm just getting praised by Kay Planer… so why do I feel this happy for…? This is so weird…'

And apparently Terry and Nicky had somewhat the same thoughts.

"That's a relief…" Kay sighed.

"What is?" asked Terry.

"I was starting to get worried that none of you would be having fun…" Kay admitted. "I mean… to be honest I had no idea what I was supposed to do in a group study. This is… kind of the first time anyone wanted to do one with me since a very a long time."

Terry, Vicky and Nicky sweat-dropped. 'Seriously…?' they all thought.

"But I'm really glad that you're all finally pumped up!" She gave them a smile.

The three other girls had nothing to say in return – rather, they were left speechless. Nonetheless they all smiled bashfully to themselves before sitting back down, thinking of giving this 'group study' another chance.

* * *

Sadly they still had a hard time.

Even when Kay shared her personal notes with them! Switching from Unova History to other subjects like Mathematics or Science didn't do Terry and her girls any favors either. Kay made her own mistakes during the 'group study', though they pale in comparison to the other girls. Kay at least believed she learned a couple of new things; Terry, Nicky, and Vicky, however…

"Ugh, my head hurts…!" groaned Nicky. "I think that was the longest I've ever read a book!"

"Not for me…" moaned Vicky. "At least… unless it's a magazine."

"That felt like days…" whined Terry. "… and I still can't seem to remember a lot of the things that I've read."

Kay was walking behind them, looking only slightly worried this time – however, she was able to chuckle a little at the three girls' expense. "I'm sure you'll all learn to get used to it," said Kay. "All you need is some determination and persistence! And um… if you want to do this again… well… well, I'll be more than happy to!"

The three other girls just smiled weakly in return.

"Hm?" Kay turned her head to the side, apparently looking into the display window of a convenience store. "Could you all please wait for me? There's something I need to buy here." Terry gave her half-hearted approval. "It won't be long!"

Kay then disappeared into the store, allowing Terry and the girls some room to drop their façade once more and let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't know just how much more of this I can take…" groaned Vicky. "Nobody told me that I needed to study if I wanted to be friends with Planer…"

"Yeah…" added Nicky. "I mean, if studying really IS like Pokemon Battling then it's WAY too hard."

Terry was quiet this time, looking like she just realized something from listening to the other two. "If that's the case…" said Terry. "… then how was she able to do both…?" This caught Vicky and Nicky's attention. "I mean… does that mean that Planer has been… working **twice** as hard this whole time…? I mean… she even took the time to make notes for herself!"

"…" The other girls looked surprised as they came to the same realization.

"That girl is so weird…" said Terry. "But then again, she…"

"Back…!" Kay's voice snapped the three girls back into reality. "Sorry about that. I saw something good on sale so I wanted to buy some…"

Terry chuckled at that. "Wow, so you actually buy things on impulse, Kay? That's a-…" But then Kay held something up in front of her: a simple and cheap keychain of a Furfrou. "… -… surprise…?"

"I bought it for you. I… really had fun just now so I… wanted to thank you three. It's not much but…" Then Kay pocketed out two more from her pocket, revealing two more keychains: this time a Lilipup – the puppy Pokemon – and a Mankey – the pig monkey Pokemon. "I've got one each for you two as well. You have a Lilipup, don't you, Vicky? And… you have a Mankey, Nicky."

Vicky and Nicky took their respective keychain slowly.

"Thanks…" said Nicky, staring at the keychain.

"You remembered I have a Lilipup…?" Vicky asked, knowing that she hardly ever takes her Pokemon outside of her house.

"But they didn't have one of a Pignite…" Kay moaned. "… so I just bought one that's a Tepig." And she showed her own keychain with a smile. "Well, what I'm trying to say is… I've always hoped that we could get along." It was true that they bullied her, but there was a part of her that wished they could just be friends – even if they didn't share the same interests. Kay then walked ahead of them. "Well... I really need to head back home now. I'll have to go to the Gym for Pokemon Training after school tomorrow but still … See you… all tomorrow at school…?"

"Huh?" Terry snapped back to reality again. "Oh, uh… yeah… See you tomorrow, Kay."

Kay beamed yet again and then turned away to leave the scene with a smile on her face.

The three girls then stared at their keychains. They had bullied her since her first year… but she was actually willing to just get along with them like that? Kay was that kind of person anyway, they thought – someone who couldn't hold a grudge. And there they were, actually planning on using her for fame and free gifts… while Kay herself was most probably working harder than all three of them put together. These thoughts clouded their heads, and from habit tried to find any way to put the blame for the pains in their chests on Kay or anyone else.

But…

Vicky smiled weakly. "We… really are terrible people, aren't we…?"

For once in their lives, Terry, Vicky, and Nicky started to hate themselves.

* * *

The next day, Kay walked alone to school as usual, but this time Teppo was with her in its Pokeball. As usual, Kay would eventually reach the school gate and her school life would go on as it normally did. However, today was slightly different.

"Hey…!" A familiar voice called out, but before Kay could turn around to see who it was, an arm suddenly came wrapping around the back of her neck! "Wait for us, why don't you?" To her surprise… it was Terry! "And good morning, by the way."

"T, Terry…!" Kay gasped.

"Morning!" Nicky soon walked up from behind them, waving to the two. "Glad we caught up with you, Planer! We were hoping that we could walk to school together today."

"R, Really…?"

"Of course…!" said Vicky, who walked up from the other side. "I mean, you helped us idiots study so it's the least we could do."

"Who are you calling 'idiots'?!" Both Terry and Nicky snapped.

Kay blinked. "You… You three really want to walk to school together?" Kay asked. It was then that she noticed something hooked into the sleeve of Vicky's school uniform. "A, Ah…! The keychain…! Why did you hook it through your uniform like that?"

"Oh, this?" asked Vicky, flashing it and wiggling her hand around. "I just think it looks better if I hold it this way is all~!"

"You're always doing what you want…" groaned Nicky. "But I attached it to my phone…!" She pulled her mobile phone, where her keychain of a Mankey dangled under it.

"And I'm wearing it on my bracelet," said Terry. "It's cheap, but it fits really well with it, you see. And I see you attached yours to your school bag. That's so typical of you, Kay!" She pointed at the keychain dangling on the side of said girl's bag.

"H, Hey…" Kay pouted. "It was the only place I could think of putting it…"

The three girls then walked ahead, but stopped a while later to face Kay again. "Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Terry. "Come on, let's walk to school together. Oh, wait… Poor Kay never had any friends to walk to school with~…"

"T, Terry…!"

* * *

But what Kay didn't know was that the three girls did a lot of thinking last night back at their homes.

Where they normally played video games, watched TV or just reading magazines to kill the time, this time they could not bring themselves to focus. They remembered how Kay used to look like such a pushover, but now she had turned her life around – what they never realized was just how hard she must have worked to achieve that.

All three girls kept taking glances at the keychains, which they initially just left lying around somewhere in their rooms.

But strangely – for them – they suddenly felt like sitting down on their desks and opened their textbooks – what was more surprising was that they were actually recalling back what Kay had taught them earlier! Though they wished they listened through the whole thing, they all decided to push themselves… and unbeknownst to Kay, they actually stayed up late studying, and had their keychains close to them the whole time.

* * *

"Hey, Kay!" Terry called out as Kay started to catch up to them. "In case you're wondering… we don't need any other gifts from you."

"Eh?" Kay was surprised, but then started to look worried. "O, Oh… Well, okay…"

The three girls looked at each other, and gave each other a nod and a smile. Then Terry would continue: "… because nothing beats the gift that symbolizes our friendship!" Then the three of them held out each of their keychains to Kay. "We'll treasure these forever."

Kay's eyes widened.

"Oh, no~!" Vicky said. "Planer's about to cry~! It was too touching for her~!"

Kay quickly straightened her expression, but could not contain her blush. "I, I was not…!"

Terry and her girls started laughing, but then motioned their hands for Kay to continue walking with them. With smiles, the four of them walked together to school. It might be a long time for Terry and her girls to finally be able to forgive themselves completely for all the things they did, but the least they could do was support their new friend.

And perhaps one day they can proudly tell themselves: "This girl is my friend."

* * *

**FazzEagle: **And that's Chapter 20! Will Kay and the former 'Terror Trio''s friendship blossomed even further? Well, perhaps in time. Terry, Nicky, and Vicky showed here that traces of their bad attitudes still remained, but eventually it was Kay's genuine kindness and honesty that won them over. That's not to say they would completely stop from being mischievous and selfish, but they'll at least consider Kay's feelings from now on. I don't know why but out of the three bullies I like Vicky the most - despite her possibly capable of being the most shameless of the trio.

Next chapter we will still be focusing on Kay's school life but at the same time also on Pokemon Battling, but her real battle will come in the form of the East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament. Still wondering who will be the OC that will make their debut first? You'll definitely find out soon enough!

Also, here's an update on Character Submission:

**Name: **[Your character's name and nickname, if any]

**Age: **[How old your character is. 15 is the legal age for obtaining a Pokemon Trainer License]

**Gender: **[Male or Female?]

**Appearance: **[How does your character look like? Do they wear a specific outfit to their Pokemon Battles? Do they have a distinct feature that allows them to stand out?]

**Personality: **[Your character's personality; how they behave in certain situations; how they treat Pokemon; how they feel about people, and etc.]

**Pokemon (s):  
**[Your character is allowed to have as many as they want as long as it's not a ridiculous number. Also, think about the expense your character will have to spend for each Pokemon. Won't be practical if they owned six Pokemon but could only afford to feed one or take care of one]

**Division: Single (One Pokemon) /Team (Partner with Another Pokemon Trainer) / Full (Three Pokemon)** [Single Battle is a straight one-on-one Pokemon Battle; Team Battle is your Trainer and a partner fighting two other Trainers; Full Battle is your standard Pokemon Battle but with the maximum of three Pokemon]

**Battle Style: **[What kind of strategies do your Trainer and their Pokemon(s) use? Do they prefer to attack head-on? Do they prefer to attack from afar? And etc.]

**Gym (optional, because you can leave that up to me): **[In this story every Trainer must be affiliated with a Gym to enter official Pokemon Battles in the Battle Stadium. The story will not use any of the Gyms or Gym Leaders existing in games or the anime]

**Gym Leader (optional, because you leave that up to me): **[You can choose if your Trainer's Gym Leader played a big role in their life or not. Gym Leaders can come to support your Trainer during Pokemon Battles, but it's not necessarily their job to do so]

**Background: **[What was your character's life like before they took up Pokemon Battling? Or how many Pokemon Battles have they participated in? At general, a Trainer can have up to 4 Pokemon Battles a year or at most even 12 fights a year, if willing. Waiting between battles can take up to either a month or three depending on how the Trainer feels after their last battle]

**Crowd Reaction (optional): **[Are they fan favorites, or are they otherwise in the eyes of the crowd? Do they cheer for them, or do they boo and hiss?]

You can be creative and add some things on your own, but **NO Fan-Made Pokemon. **

Well, that's all for now! Please review to tell me what you think of the read!


	21. You Are Not Alone!

**Chapter 21 – You Are Not Alone!**

"Hmmm…" Kay's teacher mused as he looked over her form, idly stroking his chin.

Kay was called by her homeroom teacher for counselling to discuss about her plans for the future – rather, what she planned on doing after high school. In a form handed out to all of the third year students, she was asked to write – in just a few words – of what she hoped to do beyond graduation or if she had an ideal career she wanted to pursue in mind. On her paper, Kay wrote:

"To help your father at your family's farm and become a Pokemon Trainer…" read her teacher. "Are you sure about this, Planer?"

Kay sat across from him, looking a little nervous, but she nodded her head – albeit softly. "Yes…" said Kay, lifting her head a little to properly look at him. "I'm… I'm sure…"

"Hmm… While I respect any decisions you make on this, Planer…" Gently, he placed her form back down on his desk. "… but have you considered on possibly furthering your studies? In fact, with your grades, you could enroll in any university here in Unova… and I wouldn't say it's not impossible that you could even apply for a scholarship to study overseas. You're still young, remember?"

Kay did turn sixteen that year.

"I know…" said Kay, but then she straightened up and faced her teacher directly. "But helping out my dad and Pokemon Battling are the paths I've chosen. I've really thought about it long and hard… and this is the decision I've made. I want to continue taking care of my family's farm… and I want to continue to work hard for Pokemon Battling. I want to focus on doing both… so I don't think I'll have enough room for school eventually." Then she lowered her head apologetically.

Her teacher looked her over, looking quite surprised. But then he sighed and smiled in relief. "It does look like you've made up your mind," he said. "As long as you're sure about that, then there's not much I could say anymore. Just remember that if you ever need help looking for some good recommendations on colleges or universities, you can come and talk to me, Planer."

Kay smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, sir…! I'll remember that."

Her teacher nodded in return. "You may go now."

Kay made sure to give her teacher a respectful bow of her head. As she walked out of the room, her teacher sighed and turned on his chair. 'She sure changed a lot…' he thought. 'During the first year I remember that she wasn't even sure what to do with her future… and now it feels like I was talking to a whole different person. Ah well… It's good to see that." He slowly stood up and looked down at Kay's form on his desk. "Pokemon Battling, huh? Who would have thought…?"

* * *

"And then she said 'you need to decide NOW on what you're going to do after high school'!" Nicky growled. "Agh! I'll worry about that after I graduate, okay!" She flailed her arms over her head in anger after.

"I'm sure she was just worried about you, Nicky…" Kay assured after sipping on her orange juice.

It was lunch time – and around a week since their group study - Kay was eating with Terry, Nicky, and Vicky on the school roof – a situation they each slowly adapted to. Like Kay, the three girls apparently started to occasionally bring their own lunch boxes now, and started making it a habit to meet together during lunch time. Of course, it didn't change the fact that Kay stood out among them in both appearance and personality – if not among other things.

"I told her that my big brother will take care of me until I find work," said Vicky. "But then she got all mad and stuff~."

"What about you, Kay?" asked Terry. "You said you were called in by your homeroom teacher too, right?"

Kay nodded. "Well… I told him that… I want to focus more on being a Pokemon Trainer, and… well… he said it was up to me in the end." She didn't think she needed to tell them anything more than that though – including the part where she wanted to continue helping out her family's farm. "What about you, Terry…? Did your homeroom teacher ask about what you want to be in the future too?"

Terry looked the other way. "Yeah…" she said. "… but I told him I didn't have any plans at all aside from taking over my father's business, which is probably still a long time from now anyway." She sighed, and then pointed her chopsticks at Kay. "You're lucky, Kay; you seem like you have everything you need to do well in Pokemon Battling. That reminds me… When is your next battle anyway?"

"Well… Leader Dempsey told me I shouldn't neglect my studies, but he also said that I shouldn't neglect being a Pokemon Trainer either. My next battle is… in two months. The last week…"

"Oh, so that's in November, right?" asked Nicky. "The last week of November…"

"The last week of November…" repeated Vicky.

"The last week of November…" repeated Terry, nodding her head firmly.

But for some reason, Kay was looking the other way, and she wore a guilty expression. The three other girls, on the other hand, gave it some more thought… until they realized what was going on.

"What?!" Terry and her girls cried out, quickly turning to face her. "Isn't the last week of November when we're having our FINALS?!"

"I, I know…!" stuttered Kay. "But I…! But I didn't mean it to turn out that way…!"

* * *

Flashback to a few days ago, back at Dempsey's Gym…

"Kid," he called out to Kay. "We've found you your next Pokemon Battle opponent." Kay and Teppo, who were practicing with the punching bags, quickly stopped to look towards their Gym Leader. "It's a Trainer a couple of ranks above you." He then approached them, looking over the condition of the punching bag for a moment. "This one is ranked 24, and so far is the only Gym among those we've reached out to that accepted our challenge. I'm pretty sure you know what this means if you win, Kid."

Kay looked surprised, but nonetheless nodded eagerly. "We'll move up a lot in the ranking…! Wow… It's hard to believe someone that high in the ranking wants to battle with us." She turned to face her Pignite, giving it a smile. "Isn't that great, Teppo?"

"Nite…!" the Pignite cheered, raising its fist.

"Unfortunately…" Dempsey continued. "They can't make it for December… and suggested that we set up the Battle Date to be on November instead. That would leave you and your Pokemon just two months to train this time."

"Two months…?" Kay asked. "Will we be alright…?"

"Hmm… Well, it's true that you've had a hard time with Wally Bailey last time, and there's no doubt that he was a stronger opponent than any of us expected, but your Pokemon will definitely be in good enough condition in two months' time."

"Pignite…!" Teppo turned to face Kay, and clutched its hands into fists looking all fired up. "Nite…!"

Kay understood what it was trying to say. "Then we'll do it, Leader…!" said Kay. "This is a rare opportunity so… so we can't just waste it."

Dempsey nodded. "Nicely said. But… you don't have any important plans going on in November? If you don't, then I'll contact their Gym right away."

Kay gave it some thought. "As far as I know… I don't think so. Do we, Teppo?" Her Pignite, however, shook its head. With that, Kay smiled and then looked back at Leader Dempsey with a confident look on her face. "We can do it…!"

* * *

Back to the present…

"And two days later I just realized that the finals were happening that week…" Kay admitted, looking blue suddenly. "Leader Dempsey got really angry at me, especially since we've already made it official. We could cancel the battle but then it would make us look bad… Plus it would look like I either forfeited, or make me look bad as a high school student…"

The three other girls sweat-dropped.

"But I know it's because he's worried it might affect my performance in the finals...!" assured Kay. "That, or the other way around… But I told him that we'll be alright anyway…" Kay chuckled weakly, but it lasted for only a few seconds before she lowered her head in shame. "I can't believe I've made such a mistake…. Not to mention that the battle is just two days away from the end of the exams. I wonder if Teppo and I actually will be alright this time…"

Terry, Vicky, and Nicky looked at each other with concern.

* * *

"Good afternoon!"

Giving her usual greeting, Kay stepped into the Gym once more. She was still wearing her school uniform, but this time Teppo was outside its Pokeball and walking alongside her. Some of her fellow Gym mates even greeted her in return, having gotten used to the girl doing so in the last couple of months. But it was Tessa and Parker that she would first approach.

"Pignite!" Teppo was the first one to greet them.

Tessa and Parker were apparently in the middle of training their Pokemon, with Tessa's Toxicroak – 'Peaches' – doing push-ups on the floor, and Parker's Manectric – Shocker - running on one of the treadmills made specifically for Pokemon. Hearing Kay and then Teppo's greeting, they turned their attention to them while their Pokemon continued their training on their own.

"Oh, hey there, Kay!" greeted Tessa. "How's studying in school so far for you?"

It was a question either of them had started asking after hearing about her predicament on the date surrounding her next Pokemon Battle – though she couldn't really tell if they were trying to make fun of her for it or genuinely concerned for her.

"It's doing alright…" said Kay, giving them a little smile. She didn't say anything else though, and simply avoided looking Tessa and Parker directly.

Tessa and Parker, of course, noticed this.

"Oy!" A familiar voice soon caught their attention. Apparently back from doing his roadwork, Sodo entered while somewhat dripping with sweat. He didn't have his Pokemon with him, but people could easily assume he just returned them to their Pokeball for some resting time. Greeted by his peers, he then approached Kay and the others. "Oh, Kay! How's studying in school so far for you!"

There was that question again.

Kay flashed another little smile. "I, It's doing alright…"

"It must be hard on you," said Sodo, putting his hands on his waist. "Taking your finals AND taking a Pokemon Battle with someone several ranks higher than you… Most people normally pick one over the other because either one has high stakes on them." Kay lowered her head. "I mean, think about it… You've left quite the impression in your Pokemon Battle debut so people are pretty much expecting you'll live up to your hype in your second battle."

Kay lowered her head, looking worried.

Tessa and Parker flailed their arms around at Sodo to silently tell him to stop. Unfortunately, he didn't see them doing so.

"And then you have your finals…" said Sodo, closing his eyes and musing over it firmly. "If you don't do well in them, there's an actual chance that you could repeat a year! What will your teachers say…? People will eventually start blaming you taking up Pokemon Battling…!"

"W, What…?" Kay's eyes widened.

Then he tightened his hand into a fist. "And what if the Board of Education started bringing this up to the public and claim Pokemon Battling is bad for education?! They might start banning students from taking up the sport… or WORSE: they might vote to ban Pokemon Battling altogether! What will Inez or the Professor think about this?!"

"….?!"

But then Sodo suddenly grinned to himself and slapped Kay on the back. "Just kidding…!" he said. "Like something like this never happened before…! **Gyahahaha**! Don't you worry-… eh?" He looked down at the girl, and to his surprise, she completely whited out! "What the…? Why are you looking so pale so suddenly…?"

"THAT WAS YOUR DOING…!" Tessa and Parker shouted at him in unison.

"WHAT?!" Sodo retaliated. "I WAS OBVIOUSLY JUST JOKING! CAN'T YOU ALL TAKE A JOKE?!"

"That was a joke?!" Tessa snapped. "What kind of humor do you actually have, you Big Mouth?!"

"What did you call me?!"

But Kay turned to face them again. "I, It's alright, everyone…!" she said, flashing a weak smile. "Really, don't worry about me… I know I made a big mistake on the schedule… But…! But I promise that Teppo and I will be alright…! This sort of thing happened to others before anyway…" Her smile looked like it was on the verge to fading, but they could tell she was forcing herself keep it.

Tessa and Parker turned towards Sodo, giving him a glare.

However, it was Sodo again who stepped forward to Kay. "Alright, alright…" he said. "I'll admit that it's my fault for saying all that…" But then he straightened up. "Alright! I'll make it up to you…! Look!" Swiftly, he pocketed something out of his pocket: it was a ticket to the Battle Stadium! "I actually got this for you not too long ago."

Kay saw the date on the ticket, and she quickly realized what ticket that was for. "That's…!"

Sodo grinned. "That's right… It's a ticket to OUR Pokemon Battles next week!"

Tessa and Parker were actually surprised at that.

"Don't you remember?" Sodo asked. "At that night, Tessa, Parker, and I will be having our Pokemon Battles. Of course, this isn't about them at the least! Especially since I'll be in the main event." And Tessa and Parker glared at him once more. "So to make it up to you… I'll show you what a REAL Pokemon Trainer can do in the Battle Ring. Then I'll win by knockout just for you! Won't that cheer you up!"

"Eh…?" Kay looked up at him in disbelief.

But Parker quickly stepped forward and thumped Sodo in the back of his head. "What the heck do you mean by how this isn't anything about us!" Parker snapped. "You think YOU'RE the only one who gets to act cool to your junior?!"

"That's right!" said Tessa. "WE want to win to cheer Kay up to! I even bought a ticket for her…!"

"What?" Parker turned to look at Tessa this time. "What do you mean you bought her a ticket?! **I** bought her a ticket…!"

"You damn copycats!" Sodo barked. "Trying to steal my thunder, HUH?!"

But Kay and Teppo just stared at them. 'Everyone…' thought Kay. 'Were they… actually worried about us…? They have their own Pokemon Battles and yet…'

"Huh?" Tessa turned to look at Kay, and suddenly gasped at what she saw. "H, Hey, Kay…! Why are you crying? Sodo, this is all YOUR fault…!"

"WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!" Sodo retaliated. "I told you I was joking…!"

Kay sniffed, trying to hold in her tears. "N-No, it's not that… It's just that… I've caused all of you to worry… and you have your own Pokemon Battles to be worried about… But I don't know why but…" Her eyes were obviously watering. "I-I can't stop… feeling happy…"

"…"

The three of them quickly stopped bickering, but instead smiled at each other.

Teppo patted Kay on her leg, giving its Trainer a smile. "Nite, nite…"

Tessa stepped forward, and gently gave the other girl a hug. "There, there…" said Tessa, idly rubbing her hand on her head. "Come on; we're all friends, right? Of course we'd be worried when you're down! You and Teppo worked real hard, didn't you? So come on, stop crying already – it's not a good look to show everyone else here, you know?"

Kay's cheeks turned red at both the hug and at what was said, but nodded meekly and rubbed the tears off of her eyes quickly. Putting on a straight face, she stepped away from Tessa and gave them a confident smile.

"There we go," said Parker. "That's the face we're used to."

"You really are a kid, aren't ya?" asked Sodo, grinning mischievously. "For a while there, I thought you were going to bawl your eyes out."

"Sodo…!" Tessa hushed.

Kay could not help but smile now. 'Thank you…' she thought. 'I'm really glad I joined this Gym…!' Just like that, she felt like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders, knowing that she had her 'friends'' support.

It was then that Charles came walking down from upstairs. Spotting Kay, he approached her with a smile on his face. "Oh, Kay!" he said. "I was waiting for you to come by at the Gym. Leader Dempsey and I talked over it and we agreed that you probably need some cheering up. Look what we got for you!" And he held up… a ticket to the Battle Stadium. "We think that it'd be a good idea for you to see your fellow Gym mates battle next week! So we- … eh?"

It was only then that Charles realized… that Sodo, Tessa, and Parker were holding up the exact same ticket in their hands. The three of them each gave Charles looks.

Kay and Teppo, on the other hand, looked completely dumbfounded and guiltily looked the other way.

Charles said nothing at first, until he pushed up his glasses and muttered, "… copycats."

And Sodo, Tessa, and Parker's voice were heard across the Gym:

"**WHO ARE YOU CALLING COPYCATS?!"**

* * *

The week after, Kay had invited Terry, Vicky, and Nicky with the three extra tickets to watch the Pokemon Battles at the Battle Stadium.

The second to last Pokemon Battle was a Team Battle between the team of Tessa's Toxicroak and Parker's Manectric, against their opponents, who had a Gloom and a Charmeleon as their partners. The battle began with their opponents taking the initiative, but Tessa and Parker managed to fight them off until the end of the first round. The second round had Tessa and Parker taking control, only for Parker's Pokemon missing an attack at the last minute that almost led to his Manectric to go down.

"That was so close…!" Nicky said. "That Gloom is stronger that it looks…!"

Tessa and Parker's Pokemon battled it out against their opponents, shifting in dominance back and forth for the next third and fourth round. During the fifth and last round, Tessa's Toxicroak managed to land its attack against the opponent's Gloom, knocking it out completely. The bell was rung, and Tessa and Parker were declared the victors!

But Terry, Vicky, and Nicky weren't so satisfied with that.

"The battle turned into a slugfest…" said Terry. "I'm glad your gym mates won but still…"

Kay chuckled weakly at that. It was true that the battle didn't turn out as smoothly as they had hoped, but… 'Congratulations, Tessa! Parker!' she thought. 'That was still an incredible match…!'

Then it was time for the main event…

"Hey, Kay?" Terry asked. "This… 'Sodo' guy… He's your gym mate too, right? He's in the Full Battle Division so he should have three Pokemon. What are they?"

"Eh…?" Kay blinked. "Well… I know he has a Machop, but now that you mention it… I don't think I've seen his other Pokemon before. I've asked but… they kept telling me that I'd see them eventually. His training schedule is different from mine too so… a lot of times we hardly ever see each other in the Gym. But I always see him with only his Machop though…"

"Shhh!" hushed Vicky. "It's starting! It's starting…!"

"Alright, ladies and gentleman! And Pokemon Battle fans everywhere!" The announcer's voice was heard all across the stadium. "It's time for the maaaaain event!"

As the crowd cheered, the two Trainers that will close the night start to make their way to the Battle Ring. Sodo was the last to step out of the entrance, and Kay noticed that he was still wearing one of his dark singlets that he normally wore during training. But what surprised Kay more was the fact that the crowd was very much cheering for him.

"Go, Sodo!" a fan shouted. "We came here to see you!"

"Give us another win!" another cheered.

"W, Whoa…" said Nicky, looking around her. "Your Gym mate is kind of a fan favorite, huh…?"

"I know he's strong…" said Kay. "… but I didn't expect him to be this popular."

Terry, on the other hand, was looking attentively at Sodo from her seat. 'He seems awfully familiar… Wait a minute.' That was when it hit her! And she quickly whispered her realization to Vicky!

When Vicky herself realized it, she would pass on the message to Nicky. Finally, all three of them looked down at him, with sweats dripping down their heads. They had just realized who Sodo was: it was the 'scary man' that scared them off several months ago! During when they were still picking on Kay! 'HE'S one of her GYM MATES?!' they thought in unison.

"Hm…?" Kay – while she noticed the worried looks on her friends' faces – didn't catch on what made them suddenly look that way. "… everyone…?"

"And finally…!" the announcer continued after introducing the first Trainer. "On this side… SODO REEEEID…!"

"YEAH!" Sodo roared, and surprisingly his voice was on par volume with the announcer's own!

And the crowd cheered even louder!

The Mr. Mime Referee threw its arms sideways; the ring bell was rung!

"Go, Freddy!" The opposing Trainer shouted, throwing his Pokeball towards the Battle Ring!

"Go, Champ!" And so did Sodo!

As the two Pokeballs hit the ground, they snap right open, unleashing flashes of white! The opponent's Pokemon was a Sandslash, and Sodo had started the battle with his Ma—

"…!" Kay and several others were surprised.

Sodo's Machop was now a Machoke – it had evolved!

It tightened its fists and planted its feet firmly on the ground, and started flexing all of the muscles of its body by doing a Most Muscular pose. Even for a Machoke this one looked big and brutal, especially around its upper body where the traps, pectoral muscles and biceps bulged with intensity. It slammed its fists together before going into battle stance, glaring at the Sandslash several feet away from it. It stomped its foot once, and that alone was enough to cause the Sandslash to flinch.

"S, Sodo Reid's Machop has already evolved into a Machoke!" shouted the announcer. "To think that it was a Machop just a few months ago…! And it looks like everyone – including their opponents – are just as surprised as I am!"

"Hey, Kay!" Vicky called out. "Use your Pokedex!"

"R, Right…!" Kay quickly pocketed out her Pokedex to search for any information on a Machoke. Finally finding it, she pressed on the screen to allow the Pokedex to reveal a short description on the Pokemon: "Machoke, the Superpower Pokemon… The muscles covering its body teem with power… Even when still, it exudes an amazing sense of strength. It always goes at its full power, but this very tough and durable Pokémon never gets tired. Its muscular body is so powerful; it must wear a power-save belt to be able to regulate its motions."

"M, Monster…" muttered Nicky, slowly looking back down at Sodo. "It fits him completely…"

"And the Machoke in the Pokedex doesn't even look as terrifying as the one down there…" Vicky pointed out.

But Sodo's opponent refused to be intimidated. "F, Freddy…!" he shouted, pointing at the Machoke. "Use Rollout!"

The Sandslash quickly rolled into a ball, and the spikes on its body straightened up. Like a speeding tire, the Pokemon rolled itself with intense speed right towards the Machoke! But strangely… Champ did not move a bit and simply raised its now open hands up. The Sandslash closed in…! But to the surprise of everyone in the Battle Stadium, the Ground-Type Pokemon stopped!

But it was the way it was stopped that made them gasp.

The Machoke caught the Sandslash by two of the spikes on its body during its spin with its bare hands! The Sandslash tried to force its way through, but the Machoke did not budge once.

Sodo grinned, baring his fang-like teeth. "Alright, Champ…!" he said. "We got 'em! Use Vital Throw…!"

The veins on the Machoke's arms started to bulge, and it lifted the Sandslash off the ground with ease. The Sandslash unrolled itself and struggled to get out of the Superpower Pokemon's grasp, kicking its claws and legs but to no avail. In one quick motion the Machoke swung the Sandslash downwards and…

***WHAM!***

… slamming the mouse Pokemon straight on its front! The impact was so loud that it could mostly be heard across the Stadium!

"F, Freddy…!" its Trainer cried out.

The Mr. Mime referee stepped forward check on the down Pokemon, but before the human referee could even start counting… the Mr. Mime waved its arms!

The Sandslash was unable to continue battling!

"With just one move…" gulped Terry. "Did you all hear how loud that Sandslash hit the ground…?"

"A, Amazing…" said Kay. "That Machoke… is on a whole other level."

The Sandslash was returned to its Pokeball, and the Trainer quickly brought out another. "Go, Jerry…!" He threw the Pokeball onto the ring, and this time out came a Raticate, another mouse Pokemon! "Raticate, use Quick Attack…!"

The Mouse Pokemon was quick to move! But then its Trainer's eyes widened in surprise; the Machoke dashed right at it at the same time showing its own incredible speed! Before the Raticate could properly react, the Machoke had already thrown a straight right into its face! Its powerful fist slammed against the mouse Pokemon with unmatched authority, and it followed through by continuing to push its arm forward, until the Raticate was slammed into the ground onto its back!

And Sodo didn't even need to say anything.

The Mr. Mime once again was quick to wave its hands to signal that the Raticate was unable to continue battling!

The crowd went wild, and Sodo's opponent dropped his jaw wide. In just under two to three minutes into the first round, TWO of the other Trainer's Pokemon were soundly defeated without so much as scratching one of Sodo's!

The opposing Trainer held onto his last Pokeball with trembling fingers… but seeing the glares from both the Machoke and Sodo forced him to do the only thing he could think of. The Trainer pressed the button on his Podium, which sent out the word 'Forfeit' under his name on the screens surrounding the ring. And the ring bell was sounded again.

"His opponent had forfeited the battle…!" exclaimed the announcer. "The winner is… Sodooooo REID…!"

"YEAH!" Sodo roared.

"MACHOKE…!" His Pokemon did the same, raising its arms powerfully in the air.

Terry, Vicky, and Nicky were speechless. All they could think about was how they almost got into a fight with him once and even more mind boggling to them was that Kay was training in the same gym as he was. Kay herself, however, was all smiles.

'A, Amazing…!' thought Kay. 'He must have trained his Pokemon a lot for it to be that strong…' Then she saw Sodo looking up at her direction – though she couldn't tell if it was just coincidence. Then she remembered: he did say he was going to win his battle to cheer her up. And that got her smiling again. 'Thank you, Sodo… and thank you, Tessa… Parker… everyone.' She tightened her hand into a fist, and looked on over the Battle Ring with determination.

'I'm going to do my best…!'

* * *

**FazzEagle:**This one took a little while, but only because I had other things to do. Anyways, this chapter we look at how things have changed since twenty chapters ago before Kay even started getting into Pokemon Battling - especially in her relationships with several characters in the story. Plus, we get to see Sodo's Pokemon in battle! He only uses one of his Pokemon here though - I'm saving the revealing of his other Pokemon for some other time. This battle of his was just to show just how strong his Pokemon is - in fact, even looking overpowered. That just means that anyone who could give him a challenge would have to be strong Trainers themselves.

Also, just a reminder that Kay's real Pokemon Battle will begin in the East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament. To think that it's already about to reach the next year in the story...

Also, Kay is sixteen now. Let's just assume she celebrated her birthday with just her father and Teppo.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review to tell me what you all think!


	22. A Reminder!

**Chapter 22 – A Reminder!**

Pencils, check.

Erasers, check.

Books, check.

Night light, check.

She almost forgot something! Kay then gently placed the clipped ticket to the Battle Stadium from last night on her desk, sliding it carefully close to where she could always see it. A smile spread across her face, and then she soon reached out for her trademark orange-colored kerchief, tying it slightly over the back of her head and hair. Tightening the knot, Kay slapped herself in the cheeks, getting herself awake and ready.

"Alright!" said Kay. "Let's do this…!"

And with that, she flipped open one of her books.

* * *

Seeing her Gym mates hoping that she would succeed had lit a fire in Kay. She knew it was going to be a tough challenge, especially since she would have to both train her Pokemon AND study for the same week. But she didn't want to let her friends, her Gym mates, her father, and her Pokemon down. For the next couple of weeks, Kay crammed like she had never done before. Though Leader Dempsey took around an hour off from her Pokemon Training during the weekdays, it didn't make it any less difficult for her.

It was taking a toll on both her mind and body in more ways than one day by day.

Fortunately, her family was there to back her up:

Her father would always welcome her with a good meal, taking charge of the cooking more so than usual.

"Sorry for making you cook a lot for us, Dad…" said Kay, lowering her head in guilt. "And not to mention you and Teppo have been the ones taking care of most of the farm work…" But she did eventually muster up a little smile after. "How about if I cook tomorrow for you two?"

"Don't worry about it, Kay." Her father gave her a grin. "I was the one who taught you how to cook, remember? You have to be at your best for both your exams and your upcoming Pokemon Battle." However, he knew his daughter wasn't the type to not return favors – evident from the worried look on her face. "But… in return, perhaps after you're done with both… you can treat us all to eating out together? It's been a while since we've eaten outside."

Kay's eyes lit up at that. "Y, Yes…! Of course…! I will definitely do that!"

Thomas chuckled. "And… if you actually do well in both, well… we can consider it a dinner celebration."

"Nite…!" Teppo definitely liked the sound of that.

Kay nodded enthusiastically. "Don't worry about it, Dad! You can leave it all to me!" Her appetite quickly returned, and she started eating with a smile on her face – much to her father's joy.

* * *

But it wasn't just her father.

"E, Eh…?" Kay stuttered. "You three don't want to go to another group study…? Why…?"

Terry crossed her arms, turning her head sideways. "Isn't it obvious?" Terry asked. "We can't focus on our studying if you keep looking worried like that. It's such a downer!" Kay lowered her head hearing that, and looked pretty hurt – Terry just couldn't bring herself to play coy any longer. "We just want to study on our own this time, you know? You have the finals AND a Pokemon Battle to worry about… we can't drag you down by having you teach us all the time."

Kay lifted her head.

"Yeah, give us some credit!" said Nicky. "I mean, we may not be the smartest… but we're not that dumb either." The tomboy then idly scratched her cheek. "Sides… we've copied your notes and stuff anyway so we'll just refer to them if we need to. You just… worry about your own stuff, alright?"

"Nicky…"

"But you better do really well!" said Vicky, pointing playfully at Kay. "And you better give us a good battle after the finals~! Because we'll definitely come by and cheer for you! So don't embarrass us, okay~? … eh?"

But to Vicky and the other girls' surprise, Kay's eyes were completely watering up!

But Nicky was quick to wrap her arm over the back of Kay's neck, putting the poor girl in a light headlock. "Why do you have to be such a crybaby!" grinned Nicky. "You're a Pokemon Trainer! You need to toughen up!"

"You're all worried about me too…" said Kay, trying to hold onto her tears. "Even… Even though you three are so **terrible** at studying…"

To the three girls, it felt like something sharp just stabbed them in the heart.

"… and always getting **scolded** by teachers…"

And there it was again with that piercing stab!

"You could still worry about someone like me…" Then she lifted her head, giving them a smile. "Thank you, every-"

"Who the heck are you calling 'TERRIBLE'?!" And Nicky suddenly put the girl into a light headlock!

"Are you taking this chance to make fun of us?!" Terry barked. "You've gotten bold, Kay…!"

"Give her a noogie~!" cheered Vicky.

"H, Hey, stop that…!" whined Kay. "S, Stop…! I didn't mean it that way…! H, Hey…!"

* * *

"You may turn your papers now."

The teacher's words struck worry in Kay's chest.

It was finally the week of her finals, and she studied as hard as she could in the last two months. Her head hurt and her body ached all over, but she had survived thus far with will alone. 'Remember…' Kay thought to herself. 'Remember why you're here…' She slowly picked up her pencil, but her fingers were trembling the whole time. 'Stay calm… I've studied enough for this – I just need to endure four more days after this!'

Leader Dempsey gave her the whole weekdays off from Pokemon Trainer that week so she could focus on her exams.

'Leader Dempsey gave us a chance…' she continued. 'And so did everyone… Everything that we've worked for…' And it was then that two particular faces flashed in her head: the familiar image of Inez and her Combusken getting ready for battle. 'They're all waiting for us, Teppo… So I won't let everything we've worked for go to waste…!'

Just like that she tightened her grip around her pencil, and finally turned her papers around.

* * *

As soon as she stepped out of the entrance, she was surrounded by the loud cheers of the people at their seats. She no longer wore her school uniform, but her usual track suit jacket and skirt, and she definitely did not forget to wear her favorite headkerchief. However, now dangling at her side was a familiar keychain of a Tepig. In her hand was Teppo's Pokeball, and to her side was Leader Dempsey, who gave her a simple nod. Seeing that, Kay took in a deep breath to calm herself down. The finals were now over, she thought; now it was time for her to face the next challenge.

"Let's go, Kid," said Dempsey. "Chin up."

As in on cue, Kay took that one step forward and eventually started making her way towards the Battle Ring, followed by an introduction from the usual announcer.

"And fresh from her Pokemon Battle debut two months ago...! With a record of only 1 win and no losses… KAYYYYY PLANER…!"

There weren't that many people – not if she had to compare it with the night Sodo and his Machoke battled. But there were still quite the number of people who were actually cheering her on.

"Let us see that Fire Punch again, Planer…!" shouted a fan. "Your first battle was awesome…!"

As Kay stood on her podium hearing her name called out, she neither waved nor even raised her hand in greeting. Instead, she just bowed politely to each side of the Battle Stadium, much to a lot of Pokemon Battle fans in attendance's delight.

"There's that polite greeting of hers!" laughed a fan. "Can't believe you're from the same gym as Sodo!"

Kay heard that, and simply rubbed the back of her neck bashfully.

"Hey, now look what you did!" laughed another fan. "Now she's embarrassed!"

Tessa and Parker were watching from the spectators' seats as well, feeling a little surprise at Kay's slight rise in popularity. "Guess Kay's pretty well-liked now after that Pokemon Battle with Wally Bailey…" thought Tessa out loud. "But still… I'm pretty worried. What do you think, Parker?"

"Not sure what to think…" said the man with dyed blonde hair as he leaned back against his seat. "She did tell me that her Pokemon's in top shape though. I guess all we can do is just sit back and see how things go."

Tessa nodded lightly before turning her attention back down to the Battle Ring.

Meanwhile, at around the same time, Terry, Nicky, and Vicky had just returned to their seats after one of them needed to visit the restroom. They were quick to spot Kay at her podium, where it appeared to be her listening to some last-minute advice from Leader Dempsey.

"There's Kay~!" said Vicky. "We're just in time!"

"Alright, remember…" said Terry, shifting her eyes back and forth between the other two girls. "We're here to cheer on Kay, got that?"

"But I'm still all tired out from the exams…" groaned Nicky, leaning against her seat. "I've never studied that much my whole LIFE."

"Come on, Nicky!" said Terry. "If we don't support Kay, she's not going to get fired up!"

And then came Vicky tapping on Terry's shoulder. "Um… guys? Is that Kay's opponent…?"

By then, Kay's opponent was already introduced and on his own podium. He was introduced as 'Cole Hart' an older man – probably around his thirties – who possessed a tough-looking visage with an equally tough-looking temple. He wore a suit for his Pokemon Battle, complete with tie. Aside from his muscular built, he also had a mean look in his eyes.

A look that sent shivers down Terry and Nicky's spines.

"T, That's who Kay's fighting against…?!" Terry flustered. "He looks like someone straight out of a gangster film…!"

"I forgot to look up anything on him…!" said Nicky, furiously scratching her head. "Darn books kept distracting me!"

While that was going on, Cole Hart and his Gym Leader – a skinny old man wearing shades – shared a little talk. "So she actually turned up…" smirked Hart, shifting his eyes to the side. "It was really surprising when they actually agreed on the Battle Date, especially with her just being in high school and all. I was so sure that they would just forfeit too."

His Gym Leader snickered. "She was showing off in her Pokemon Battle debut with her Pignite's Fire Punch… She's still too young to try and hog the spotlight." But in his mind, he thought to himself: 'And they actually had trouble battling a MEOWTH of all things… Fighting someone like Inez Everett would be too much of a risk for us anyway.'

Cole Hart smirked to himself as he turned to face the Battle Ring again. 'Sorry, little girl…! This is just to give me one more win in my record!"

"Trainers, to your places…!" shouted the human referee, pointing at Kay first and then at Hart while the barrier around the Battle Ring slowly devoured all of them. Seeing the Mr. Mime giving the signal that the Barrier was completely set up, the referee nodded… and then both of them threw their arms sideways! "… BATTLE!"

And the ring bell sounded across the stadium!

"Go, Teppo…!"

"Go, Don…!"

Both Trainers called out to their Pokemon as they threw their Pokeballs into the Battle Ring at the same time! Teppo, Kay's Pignite, came out of its Pokeball with its arms raised and ready for battle; Cole Hart's Pokeball hit the ground… and out came a Heatmor, the Fire-Type anteater Pokemon! The Pokemon blew out fire from its tube-like mouth before spreading its arms, making its size advantage over its Pignite opponent that more obvious.

"Whoa…!" Nicky gasped from her seat. "That's one tough-looking Pokemon…!"

But as soon as the Heatmor was released, Cole Hart quickly went for the attack! "Don, use Sucker Punch…!"

And the Heatmor quickly lunged towards Teppo with incredible speed!

Cole Hart grinned to himself. 'We saw how that battle went with that Meowth…!' he thought. 'You two are weak against surprise attacks like these…! Throws you off your game...! But you're not facing a Meowth this time. Let's see how you'd like your Pignite getting stopped in its tracks by a Heatmor's FIST…!'

But suddenly, Teppo tightened its fists.

"What…?"

Teppo wasn't moving at all! Instead, it quickly went on defensive as soon as the battle started!

"Teppo!" shouted Kay. "Now…!"

The Heatmor tried to stop itself in its tracks, but it was too close and too late. The taller Pokemon threw its right, but missed when the Pignite quickly leaned sideways. Next thing the Heatmor knew, its opponent's fist suddenly flashed red and orange. People watching from their seats looked on, knowing what might be coming.

"NIIIITE…!" The fire pig gritted its teeth… and quickly slammed its fireball of a fist right into the anteater Pokemon's body! **Fire Punch**!

The sound of its fist hitting against its opponent could be heard across the quarter-filled Battle Stadium, and Cole Hart's jaw dropped wide when he saw his Pokemon knocked back several feet away. The Heatmor almost lost its balance, but caught itself by firmly planting its feet on the ground.

But that didn't stop the crowd from bursting in awe.

"THERE IT IS….!" exclaimed the announcer. "Kay Planer's Pignite's amazing attacking power…!"

'What the heck?!' Cole Hart thought angrily. 'But she…! She shouldn't have had a lot of time to train…! So why is that Pignite actually stronger than before?'

'Looks like the Kid made a good call there,' thought Dempsey. 'She knew her opponent might try something similar to what Wally Bailey did… so she and her Pokemon were prepared for that.' His eyes hovered over to Kay. 'Hmph… Even with her cramming for her exams, she still found time to look into her opponent.'

'Damn it... She just made me look bad…! Thank goodness Heatmor are Fire-Type Pokemon so that Fire Punch probably didn't do that much damage… but to actually push Don that far backwards… It must have done some intense training! Is this girl some kind of freaking prodigy?!'

'It's not that the Kid can actually divide her focus into training her Pokemon, and studying for her exams; in fact, it's quite the opposite – either one of the two suffers, or both at the same time. The way the Kid did it, though… Her Pokemon Training would have been the one suffering. But…' His eyes shifted towards Teppo, who looked more than ready to battle out against its fellow Fire-Type. '… that's only true if she's doing all that alone.'

He recalled Kay telling him that ever since she got busy studying for her finals, her father and her Pignite were the ones doing most of the work around their family's farm, but something else he recalled was her mentioning that her Pokemon took care of her share of the heavy work. And that hit him: that was probably how it was able to build up its strength!

'So it was still trying to get stronger despite the Kid's absence…' The idea put a little smile on his face. 'Looks like you had another person supporting you the whole time in these past two months, Kid.'

'"Teppo!" Kay called out to her Pokemon "Close your distance…!"

With a nod, Teppo continued to keep its guard up, but also dashed after the Heatmor with surprising speed at the same time.

"Don!" Hart called out. "Use Fury Swipes!"

The Heatmor started swiping its claws right at the incoming fire pig, but Teppo's tight guard blocked all of the shots attempted at its head. The anteater Pokemon definitely had an advantage over size and reach, but despite that Kay's Pignite kept pushing forward, forcing its way into its desired range from its opponent.

"Keep going, Teppo!" shouted Kay. "You can do it…!"

"Damn it…!" cursed Cole Hart. "Whip it away with your tongue, Don!"

"Heatmor...!" The Fire-Type cried out and backed away a little, but instead of attacking the Pignite with its claws, this time it shot out what looked like a whip-like tongue… and it looked like it was coated with hot flames! "Mor…!"

The tongue struck at Teppo twice, but the third time missed as the Pignite ducked under. Without Kay needing to say it, Teppo tightened its fist, and was preparing to throw another Fire Punch in the Heatmor's way!

"Stop it, Don…!" shouted Cole Hart.

The Heatmor hesitated; it could see there was definitely power behind that incoming Fire Punch – Fire-Type or not, it was still going to hurt! Out of desperation, the Heatmore threw its body forward! **WHAM**! Something definitely connected…!

But it wasn't Teppo's Fire Punch, but the Heatmor's long-reaching head suddenly crashing into Teppo's face!

Teppo was forced to take a step back, feeling the effects of that headbutt – not to mention looking somewhat dizzy – before suddenly dropping to one knee.

"DOWN…!" shouted the human referee while the Mr. Mime stepped in between Teppo and Don. Then the count started. "One…! Two…!"

"HAHAHA!" The Heatmor's Trainer laughed out loud. "How do you like that, HUH?! That's one way to stop a Fire Punch…!"

But some of the crowd suddenly started booing.

"Hey, that was dirty…!" Vicky cried out, standing up from her seat and flailing her arms around. "Take that Fire Punch like a man…!"

"Hey, Vicky, calm down…!" hushed Terry. "As much as I hate it too, it's not an illegal move; this isn't boxing, you know."

Cole Hart turned his head to look towards the jeering crowd for a moment. "What?! We didn't do anything wrong…!"

"C, Calm down, everyone…!" exclaimed the announcer. "That headbutt is not an illegal move!"

"SEE, WHAT'D I TELL YA?!" shouted Cole Hart again, much to the annoyance of Kay's supporters. "Not our problem that Heatmor's head is long…!"

"Five…!" the human referee continued. "Six…!"

"Teppo, are you alright!" Kay cried out. "Shake it off! The battle is still going…!"

The Pignite, hearing Kay, shook its head furiously and quickly stood back up, soon returning to its regular battle stance. It waited for the Mr. Mime to restart the battle, before quickly dashing towards its opponent again. This time the Pignite threw a couple of Arm Thrusts in the Heatmor's way to combat against its Fury Swipes, but as soon as Teppo found an opening to step in closer… BAM! The Heatmor slammed its head against Teppo's forehead, stopping it dead in its tracks again. Fortunately though, it avoided getting a down.

And again some of the crowd started booing, but Cole Hart just mocked them in return.

'There must be something we can do…' thought Kay. 'There has to-… eh…?' Suddenly, her eyes started feeling heavy… and her vision was starting to blur. 'What…? What's going on…? My eyes…?' Not only her eyes, but she felt like she could barely keep her head up.

Parker noticed this, and pointed at her for Tessa. "Oy… Don't ya think there's something up with Kay down there…?"

"What's wrong with her…?" asked Tessa as she looked towards Kay. "Why is she squinting like that…? Did something get in her eyes?"

And unbeknownst to Kay herself…

"**KID**…!" Dempsey's voice finally startled Kay up. "What are you doing?! Your Pokemon is getting hit out there…!"

And another Fury Swipes hit Teppo across the head…!

"Looks like Cole Hart's Heatmore is starting to break through its opponent's guard!" exclaimed the announcer. "Could it be that all those headbutts are making it hard for Kay Planer's Pignite to focus?! Kay Planer herself looks pretty lost as well!"

"T, Teppo…!" Kay finally called out. Her eyes then shifted to the side for a brief moment, causing her to see something. "Teppo, back away for now…!"

The Pignite was surprised by that, but did as it was told to. Fortunately, its timing was good enough to just barely dodge another headbutt attempt from the Heatmor.

And the sound of the bell sounded across the stadium, ending the first round of the battle.

"Ceh…" scoffed Cole Hart's Gym Leader. "She was waiting for the round to be over." 'But no matter…' he thought, leering towards Kay secretively. 'It seems she's finally starting to lose steam.'

Meanwhile, with Kay's side…

"What was that, Kid?!" scolded Leader Dempsey. "You were zoning out for a while there…!"

"S, Sorry, Leader…" said Kay. "I, I don't know what happened…"

But as she lifted her head, Dempsey could definitely them: there were bags under her eyes, and he could tell that even now she was forcing her eyes to stay open. 'The Kid's eyes…' he thought. 'That's definitely the look of someone who's deprived from rest… Looks like all that fatigue is finally catching up to her…'

Leader Dempsey's eyes then glared to the side, towards Cole Hart and his Gym Leader.

'Those bastards… They were hoping for this to happen! They're actually taking advantage of the fact that she's still a high school student…!' Then he looked back at Kay, who was nursing Teppo's bruises while giving it some words of encouragement, and yet every now and then Kay seemed distracted. "…." Leader Dempsey stepped towards her from behind. "Kid."

"Huh…?" Kay turned her head. "Yes, what is it-"

**SLAP!**

Dempsey's hand suddenly came slapping into Kay's back! And the impact was hard enough to echo across half of the stadium!

"A, A, A…." Kay's eyes widened and her whole entire body straightened up from the stinging pain. "T, That hurt…! Leader, why did—…!"

"Are you awake now?"

Kay was cut off, but she realized what he meant by that. Straightening her expression, the girl firmly nodded her head and said, "Yes, sir."

"Good. I know it's been a very tough week for you, but you have to pull yourself together!" His eyes moved back towards Teppo. "A Pokemon without a Trainer watching its back is susceptible to getting reckless. You can sleep all you want once this is over, but right now we need you to be focused. Your opponent is using the shape of their Pokemon to their advantage; we need to think of a way to fight against that."

"Every time Teppo goes for that Fire Punch, it always headbutts him in the face… We could have Teppo aim for its head next time it does that… but Heatmor is pretty fast." But then, something came to her, and her eyes snapped open: she got an idea. "… I got it."

Dempsey and Teppo listened attentively.

"Trainers, back to your podiums!" Not long after the referee called Kay and Cole out so the second round could begin. Once both Trainers send their Pokemon off and had returned to their respective podiums, the referee gave a nodding signal to the Mr. Mime. He waited until the barrier Pokemon tossed its arms sideways and… "BATTLE…!"

Much like earlier, Teppo started dashing towards the Heatmor, whose Trainer had decided to forego using another Sucker Punch in favor of Fury Swipes. With Teppo tightening its guard once again, it braved through the incoming swipes, slowly and carefully pushing itself forward to try and turn the battle into an in-fight.

Teppo then ducked under another one of the Heatmor's Fury Swipes, and managed to nail a hard Arm Thrust right into its abdomen! However, the anteater Pokemon only took a single step back from the blow.

And just in time to see Teppo stomping its foot forward.

'There it is again…!' thought Cole Hart with a grin. 'Another Fire Punch!'

And his Heatmor saw it too. With a gleam in its eye, the Fire-Type Pokemon quickly threw its arching head forward… but something seemed off. The Pignite's fist wasn't glowing at all – was it just a normal punch then? But then it noticed something different with the way the fire pig twisted its body: it was leaning sideways a little…

**BAM!**

And once again the Pokemon's heads collided… but the crowd soon came to the realization: Teppo countered the Heatmor's headbutt…

… with its own head.

Tessa and Parker sweatdropped. "… that's gotta hurt," they thought in unison.

And everyone else in the crowd had no idea what to say about that.

But it was the Heatmor whose head bounced backwards from that exchange! With obvious swirls in its eyes!

"G, GAH….!" Cole Hart gasped. "D-DON…!"

Teppo lifted its head, and despite the red mark on its forehead its eyes were still alive! It waited, and saw the Heatmor's head swaying back and forth… but when it was about to lower its for the third time…

'Everyone's helped us get this far…!' thought Kay. Images of Terry, Vicky, and Nicky walking with her to school flashed in her head, followed by an image of Sodo getting Parker in a headlock while Tessa looked on, and then Leader Dempsey and Charles watching over her as she trained herself to exhaustion. Finally,'We can't lose here…!' "Here's our chance, Teppo…!" Kay cried out. "FIRE PUNCH…!"

And the Pignite once again stomped its foot forward as it quickly clutched its right hand into a fist. As the Heatmor's head came down, Teppo's fist started igniting a ball of fire around it. The fire pig tightened its teeth together… **BASSSHHH!** And slammed an explosive Fire Punch right across the underside of the Heatmor's head, sending it flying backwards!

The Heatmor was still standing, albeit slightly buckled over. But when it tried to straighten itself up again, a SECOND Fire Punch nailed it right across the head!

Cole Hart and his Gym Leader dropped their jaws… and for a while there the Heatmor leaned forward again towards Teppo to look it in the eye… only for the anteater to roll its eyes back in comical fashion before falling flat on its stomach.

"D, DOWN…!" shouted the human referee.

And the Mr. Mime crossed its arms over its head and waved! The Pokemon Battle was over!

The ring bell was rung, and the crowd burst into cheers!

"The referee doesn't even start a count…!" exclaimed the announcer. "The battle is over…! Despite both being Fire-Types, the power of the Pignite's Fire Punch is on a level of its own! The winner is **KAY PLANER...**!"

"They did it! They did it!" Vicky cheered, jumping up and down with glee. "You go, Kay!"

"Stop scaring us like that!" Nicky cheered along. "That's using your head though…!"

As the crowd continued to cheer, Kay and Teppo celebrated together in the Battle Ring before bowing in gratitude to the rest of the Stadium.

* * *

After some time, once the next Pokemon Battle was going to begin, Tessa and Parker went in the backrooms to visit the waiting area where Kay and Dempsey were. However, before they could even enter, Leader Dempsey stepped out, pushing the door open.

"Leader…!" Tessa greeted. "Good job today!" And she gave the old man a thumbs up.

"Where is she?" asked Parker. "We wanna celebrate her win; we were thinking of throwing her a party! You're invited too, of course."

"Hmph…" the old man scoffed. "As much as she would appreciate the gesture… I don't think she should go partying anytime soon." And he slowly pushed open the door. "Look."

And in that room, with their backs against the wall and sitting on the bench, were Kay and Teppo, both sleeping soundly while also leaning against each other's sides. A big bandage was plastered over the Pignite's forehead with a cartoonish bump under it. But the two of them looked to be sleeping so peacefully that neither Tessa nor Parker could bring themselves to joke or say anything anymore.

Instead, they just smiled to each other, and with Leader Dempsey, left the room to give both Kay and Teppo some well-deserved nap.

And in her hand, were her keychain and a Battle Stadium ticket.

* * *

**Kay Planer's Pokemon Battle Record: 2 Wins; 0 Losses**

**Winner by KO vs. Cole Hart **

**(Round 2: 5 minutes 42 Seconds)**

* * *

**FazzEagle: **Sorry for the delay, but here's the next chapter to Fight On, Pokemon Battle! And I assure you all that the next battle will feature an OC; who it is, you all just have to keep on reading. The whole point of this chapter is to show that Kay is not invincible, and that there was a reason someone actually accepted their challenge during the week of her Finals. Also, it's to give a hint that Pokemon Battles do not just go with the existing moves the Pokemon can learn in the games (for example: a Heatmor in the game doesn't have 'Headbutt' in its move set). This will go in more detail as the chapters go.

With her Finals out of the way, it's time to step into the East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament! Get ready for it!

As usual, please review to tell me what you think about the read!


	23. Unova Rookie Tournament!

**Chapter 23 – Unova Rookie Tournament!**

'_It all started just several months ago…'_

Kay and Teppo picked up their pace, sprinting as fast as they could to catch up to the other two as they joined up on their roadwork. Those other two, by the way, happened to be Sodo and his superpower Pokemon, Champ.

"Hurry up, Kid!" shouted Sodo as he ran alongside his Pokemon. "If you don't, we're gonna leave you two in the dust…! Gyahahaha!"

Both Kay and Teppo gave their responses at the same time, with Kay shouting out a 'yes' while Teppo cried crying out a 'nite'. As they continued to sprint along the path, Kay's attention shifted to the side, noticing a familiar-looking bridge.

'_I first met Sodo there and Champ back when it was still a Machop…' _she continued to recall. '_Then Teppo and I came to Leader Dempsey's Gym and met everyone else: Leader Dempsey, Charles, Tessa, Parker… and of course, Inez and Blaze…!_' Just thinking about those two got Kay pumped up._ 'Teppo and I fought our first Pokemon Battle, and then our second…' _She, of course, was referring to those two Pokemon Battle spars she had with Inez and her Combusken_. 'After I finally got my Pokemon Trainer License…'_

The moment when Wally Bailey's Meowth surprised them with a Fake Out flashed in her head, followed by Teppo finally triumphing over the scratch cat with a Fire Punch onto the barrier surrounding the Battle Ring. Then she recalled her last Pokemon Battle with Cole Hart and his Heatmor, when she constantly lost focus until Leader Dempsey slapped her hard in the back.

Just thinking about it made Kay stiff, remembering just how sharp that said slap was.

'_But thanks to Leader Dempsey and everyone else…' _she continued. _'We were able to pull through…!'_

She recalled the moment when her Pignite slammed its own head against Cole Hart's Heatmor, before subsequently knocking it out with two explosive Fire Punches to the anteater Pokemon's face, which boosted her Pokemon Battle record to two wins with zero losses.

'_And now it's finally here…!'_

Kay and Teppo sprinted harder, and impressing Sodo, they were actually able to catch up to them, narrowing their distance by just a few feet this time. No words were needed, and the two Pokemon Trainers and their Pokemon continued on with their roadwork.

'… the Rookie Trainer Tournament…!'

* * *

"Teppo!" Kay called out. "Now! Use Fire Punch…!"

"Pignite…!" cried out the dual Fire and Fighting Type.

Some time later after their roadwork, Kay and Teppo went on to spar; at the moment they were having a sparring Pokemon Battle with Tessa and her Toxicroak, Peaches. At Kay's command, the fire pig's right fist ignited as it threw a fiery straight at the toxic mouth Pokemon. Peaches leaned to the side to dodge it – albeit barely – and quickly backed away to stand just a few feet in front of its trainer, who held up her hands to form a 't'.

"Time out! Time out!" said Tessa. Seeing the Pignite dropping its guard, Tessa and her Toxicroak let out heavy sighs. "Parker, it's your turn…!"

"What…?" asked Parker, giving her a look. "You two are tired already? And you call yourself a six rounder…?"

Peaches was definitely sweating, but so was Tessa apparently. "Shut up…!" snapped Tessa. "Every time those two hear the word 'Rookie Tournament' they get all fired up… Not to mention that Teppo is getting better at forcing the Battle into an in-fight…"

"Seriously, Tess? Alright, alright." Parker stepped forward and after slapping his hand against hers, he took over her spot while she and her Pokemon stepped away. He then dropped his Pokeball on the floor, releasing his Manectric. "Alright, you two! We'll be your sparring partners…!"

"Thank you very much…!" said Kay before bracing herself for another sparring session. "Teppo, get ready…!"

"Nite…!" Teppo confidently cried out.

"Are you alright, Peaches?" asked Tessa as she sat on a bench with her Pokemon. "Seriously, that girl and her Pokemon are way too pumped up…" Though she didn't exactly think it was a bad thing. '_I can't blame her though…_' she thought. '_She has been waiting for this tournament for a long time now… and I bet I know why. Still… those two really improved a lot in their in-fighting techniques_. '

"T-Tess…!" Parker suddenly called out, looking exhausted. And in front of him was his Pokemon, panting and heaving with its tongue hanging out. "Switch with us…!"

"And YOU call YOURSELF a six rounder?!"

* * *

Tessa and Parker would continue to take turns sparring with Kay and Teppo, and it almost felt like an entire hour had passed before the Pignite finally gave into exhaustion and fell straight face-first on the floor. Of course, Tessa's Toxicroak and Parker's Manectric looked just as tired – if not slightly a little more than them.

"N, Nite…" groaned the fire pig.

Kay was just as tired from shouting out all those commands, and dropped to sit on her backside. "T, Thank you very much…" panted the girl.

Tessa and Parker were just relieved that was over and that their Pokemon were still standing – barely, though.

And as the three Trainers left their Pokemon alone for now to rest…

… a familiar voice spoke up: "Haahaha…! Always nice to see the young Trainers still so full of energy these days…!" They turned their attention to the voice, and soon found out that it was none other than Professor Eucalyptus! He walked towards the three Trainers and their Pokemon, flashing a DVD he was waving in one hand. "Kay Planer, do I have news for you!"

"P, Professor…!" gasped Kay, quickly straightening herself up. "What kind of news?"

The Professor smirked, and with one free hand pushed up his dark glasses before saying: "Behold…!" He raised the DVD high in the air. "… the schedule for the East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament has been decided."

"…!" All three Pokemon Trainers stood at attention.

"It's finally here?" Kay, of course, was the most eager, quickly running to stand in front of the Professor. "And it's in that DVD?"

"Nope!"

Kay and the others fell over comically.

The Professor laughed. "No, no… This is something your Gym Leader had asked me to bring. I don't have the schedule with me though… The P.B.C. are the ones in charge of publishing it and sending it to all the Gyms."

'_Then why in Arceus did you make it sound like you have it WITH you_?!' Tessa and Parker thought in unison. '_I bet he just wanted an excuse to say 'behold'_…!'

Kay's head drooped down slightly in disappointment.

"You'll hear about it soon enough. Plus, I'm sure you'll like seeing what's in this DVD." He handed said disc to Kay after, where the word 'Seeds' was labelled on it. "I trust you to hand that over to your Gym Leader when he arrives."

"'Seeds'…?" asked Kay as she stared at the DVD, raising an eyebrow. "What do seeds got to do with Pokemon Battling…?"

That only got the Professor laughing again. "You're funny as always, Kay Planer! Anyways… I'm off to visit another Gym; you all work hard and take care of your Pokemon now. Ta-ta…!" Just like that, the supposedly busy man waved his hand and started walking back up the stairs.

"Sometimes I wonder if that guy really IS a Pokemon Professor…" thought Parker out loud.

"But what does 'Seeds' mean here?" asked Kay, showing her two senior Trainers the DVD.

"Oh, that's actually something very interesting," said Tessa. "But since I don't want to spoil it for you… I guess you'll just have to wait until Leader Dempsey gets here. Of course… you caaaan go and play the DVD on your own. Professor Eucalyptus never did say you're not allowed to watch it before our Gym Leader gets here…"

Kay's curiosity started to spike. "B, But if it's something from the Professor… it has to be something very important…"

And Parker scooted to Kay's side, smirking mischievously. "Plus the Professor did say it was also meant for you anyway. Come on… Maybe Leader Dempsey will even praise you for taking the initiative! Play the DVD, Kay~!"

"Play it! Play it! Play it!" cheered Tessa, clapping her hands in rhythm.

Kay struggled mentally and morally! And she held onto the disc with a grip. '_I really should wait for Leader Dempsey to come back before I check what's inside this_…' she mused. '_But I'm really curious…! What if it has tips on how to become a better Pokemon Trainer…? What if it has something to do with the Rookie Tournament…? I REALLY want to know…!_'

Eventually, she came to a conclusion.

"I, I've decided…!" she said with a smile, before turning around to face Tessa and Parker again. "I'm going to play it…!"

"Play what?"

**LEADER DEMPSEY**!

She felt like her eyes could literally pop out when she saw her esteemed Gym Leader suddenly standing in front of her. He was still wearing his coat and his leather shoes so he must have just returned, thought Kay; that didn't stop her from quickly backing away and fluttering her hands though.

"W, Welcome back, Leader Dempsey…!" Kay stuttered. "I-I mean-… This isn't what it looked like! Professor Eucalyptus came earlier…! And… And then he gave me this DVD…! Tessa, Parker, and I were just curious to see what was inside it!" She turned her head to face her Gym mates. "Right, guys?"

"That's right, Peaches!" Tessa cheered on. "Remember how to position your body when you throw a jab…!"

"Go, Shocker!" Parker cried out. "That's a good Quick Attack…!"

Apparently – though Kay had no idea since when – Tessa and Parker had gone back to training their Pokemon in the Gym's makeshift Battle Ring. In fact, they looked like they could not hear her or even looked like they had nothing to do with what Kay had just said!

'_T… Traitors…_!' cried out Kay in her head.

Teppo, Kay's Pignite, simply sweatdropped at its Trainer's predicament.

"Kid." Leader Dempsey's stern-toned voice caused her to flinch. "You said the Professor came by earlier with a DVD?" He quickly spotted said disc in the girl's hands. "Ah, so he brought what I've asked from him."

"Oh, uh… Yeah…" Kay nodded her head lightly, turning to face her Gym Leader again.

"Good. Now, follow me." The old man turned his body sideways. "You wanted to see what is inside the DVD, right? Well, let's go put it in the PC." He waited until Kay gave him a nod before completely turning away. "… of course… You didn't have to wait for me to see what's inside it, you know. It IS for you after all."

Kay sweatdropped, dropping her head. "… yes, sir…"

"Oh, you're going to see what's inside the DVD~?" asked Tessa, who suddenly skipped to them with her Pokemon not far behind. "Can we come along with~?"

"Yeah, Leader Dempsey!" added Parker, whose Manectric followed after him from his side. "It must be something very important, right~?"

Those fake smiles the two made irritated Kay, however…

* * *

They were now in one of the rooms within the Gym where their PC was located – the same place where they had gathered before to watch the recorded video of Inez and her Combusken's Pokemon Battle debut. Leader Dempsey inserted the DVD into the PC and waited as the computer started to read through it.

"Kid," Leader Dempsey called, shifting his attention to her for now. "Do you know what 'seeds' are?"

Kay blinked. "Something that grows into plants…?"

"In the Pokemon Battle world, you idiot!"

Kay had to raise her arms in response in case he wanted to hit her with that cane of his. "I-I don't know! I'm sorry…!"

Their Gym Leader scoffed. "Well, I guess it's not far off from its literal definition… However, in this case, there are seeds planted in the upcoming East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament." That quickly caught Kay's attention. "'Seeds' here refer to particular Pokemon Trainers that had caught the public's eye… and these Trainers are the ones many believe have the best chances of winning the title of 'Rookie Trainer Champion'."

"'Rookie Trainer Champion'…" Kay repeated. "Is.. Is one of them Inez, Leader Dempsey?"

It took Dempsey a little while before he responded first with a firm nod. "Yes… she is." Finally seeing the PC opening a digital folder automatically from inside the DVD, he dragged the computer mouse across the desk and clicked on a video file – a video file with the name 'Inez Everett'. "This is a video recording of Inez's recent Pokemon Battle."

The video showed Inez and her Combusken, Blaze, doing battle against another Pokemon Trainer. Much like last time, Inez and Blaze won soundly through the use of a powerful Counter, dealing a quick loss to the other Trainer in the first round. Of course, Kay watched the entire video with a gleam in her eyes – though she was a tad disappointed when the video ended there without showing anything else.

"Inez is as amazing as always!" said Kay, clasping her hands together.

'_Is that really what she should say about her rival_…?' wondered Tessa and Parker.

Leader Dempsey continued: "Then… there's her."

Leader Dempsey opened up another video file, this time under the name of 'Braith Lambert'. The name took Kay by surprise, and she quickly recalled who it was: the girl with the Haunter. As the video started playing, it cut right into the sound of the bell getting rung to signal the start of the first round. The other Trainer first released his Vaporeon, but just like that time during the Trainer License Test…

Braith did not release her Haunter until at least when the referee started counting. When the Haunter came out, it looked just as menacing as she Kay remembered – perhaps maybe even a little more. In fact, even their opponents looked nervous.

The Vaporeon went for an Aqua Tail move, where the evolved Eevee surrounded its entire tail with water. It swatted right at the Haunter, but the Ghost-Type easily moved to the side to dodge it. Then, the Haunter shifted to have its left side face the opposing Pokemon. 'Hex' – the name the Pokemon went by – then raised one of its floating claws…

… and moved it back and forth.

Kay's eyes snapped open. "That stance…! It's…!"

Before Kay could even finish saying it, the Haunter quickly threw its disembodied claw right at the Vaporeon, who could not avoid a direct hit to the head in time. It was the Haunter's 'Poison Jab' move! The Haunter did not stop with one jab, and it didn't even stop after the fifth… or the seventh. Eventually, the Vaporeon was assaulted by a barrage of Poison Jabs that seemingly came from everywhere!

"It's… a lot faster than before…" Kay gulped.

The Vaporeon, despite only a minute into the first round, started looking bruised all over its body, especially around the face, where it looked to be turned somewhat purple. The Water-Type stumbled backwards, only to suddenly see the Haunter now inches away from it. The Haunter's right claw started to glow an ominous dark purple, and a dark orb with purple static suddenly formed in its grasp! The Haunter wasted no time; it slammed the orb of dark energy directly into the Vaporeon's face!

The poor Water-Type was knocked to the side, its eyes completely whited out. The Mr. Mime referee stepped in, and quickly called for the Pokemon Battle to end. The video ended there, but Kay could think about was:

That was definitely not a move she had seen the Haunter do before.

"The Vaporeon could not respond to its Trainer's voice after that," said Leader Dempsey. "They had to call in for a stretcher and take it straight to the Pokemon Center. The Haunter is perfecting its use of the Poison Jabs… In fact, Braith Lambert even started calling it by a different name." He turned his head to look at Kay again. "… the 'Poison Flicker'."

"'Poison Flicker'…?" asked Kay, finding the name fitting for such a scary technique. "They're definitely sharper than I remembered… but what was that other move it did? The one with the orb…?"

"It's her Haunter's Finishing Blow… and their usual Battle pattern. Weaken the opponent with Poison Flickers… and then finish it off with a close-ranged 'Shadow Ball'. It's a terrifying move that many Ghost and Dark-Type Pokemon can learn… but normally it's done from further away. To be hit by something like that from up close, however…"

"Holy crap…" muttered Parker. "That sounds brutal…"

But Leader Dempsey eventually moved on to another video file, and this time it was under the name 'C. Ellis'. "Here is the third seed planted in the Rookie Tournament: C. Ellis. This one is quite the surprise." He leaned back against his chair as the video started playing.

"Is it someone like Inez?" asked Parker, leaning closer to view the screen.

"Is it someone as scary as Braith?" asked Tessa, who was also leaning closer to get a better view.

The video eventually started playing, and the first thing it showed was another girl… but neither Tessa nor Parker could say she looked any more threatening than the previous two. This one had dark brown hair, but she apparently kept it tucked under a brown cap. She wore a sweater that matched her cap's color, but the sweater was so bulky it made her look slightly larger than she probably was. Perhaps the oddest thing about her was her 'tacky' –as Tessa put it - wide-rimmed sunglasses.

"What the…?" Tessa asked. "She doesn't look THAT scary or amazing… And what's with the ugly fashion sense…?"

The Pokemon Trainer eventually released her Pokemon: a Cinccino! But it was up against a Victreebel, which was around five times its size!

"And she uses a Cinccino…?" asked Tessa. "Lame…"

"Hey, Cinccino are pretty cute!" Parker snapped. "But then again… against a Victreebel… Oh! I know! Maybe it has some sort of awesome finishing move just like Braith Lambert's Haunter earlier! Is that right, Leader Dempsey?"

But Dempsey simply chuckled. "Just watch."

The Victreebel started with a Vine Whip, throwing one of its tentacle-like vines towards the scarf Pokemon. The smaller Pokemon was fast and agile, and managed to dodge the attack easily. The Cinccino closed in, and hit the Victreebel with a hard Tail Slap from behind. It was pretty strong, but it wasn't exactly crowd-pleasing.

The Victreebel tried to whip it down again, but the smaller Pokemon rolled to the side and…! …. tickled the side of the dual Grass and Poison-Type with its tail. The Victreebel turned to face it, only for the Cinccino to move to its back and again, slapped its tail against the larger Pokemon from behind.

"I was so sure the girl was preparing for a big knockout move…" groaned Tessa. "Maybe it will come by much later in the Battle…?"

* * *

Quite some time later, the video showed the bell rung and ending the fifth and final round. Unfortunately... nothing big happened. C. Ellis and her Cinccino won the Pokemon Battle through the judges' decisions, and the video also showed her opponent Trainer hitting his head frustratingly against his podium.

"Nothing happened…" said Kay.

"Their opponents lost their rhythm…" Leader Dempsey pointed out. "With the Cinccino constantly running around and using its tail to distract the Victreebel, they threw off their opponent's strategy bit by bit."

"But nothing happened…!" whined Tessa. "After we saw Inez and Braith's awesome Pokemon Battles too...!"

"There are more than one way to win a Pokemon Battle," Leader Dempsey pointed out. "But now… let's move on the final seed in tournament." And the mouse cursor on the screen moved to the last remaining video file: 'Logan Theo'. "This one… is the first seed – the one many believe has the best chance on winning the tournament."

Kay quickly glued her eyes onto the screen.

The video started, and it showed a boy probably around Kay's age. This one had short, black hair that spiked at the front, and he wore a pair of glasses with no lens. He looked like a refined young man too, and appeared to be popular with quite a number of the female fan base – though from what shown in the video, he did not care enough to respond to them and simply walked towards his podium with a calm demeanor.

"What the heck is with this guy…?" Parker asked, narrowing his eyes.

"He's pretty cute-looking…" said Tessa, before nudging Kay's arm. "What do you think, Kay?"

"W, What…?" flustered Kay. "I, I don't know...! I… guess…?"

The bell was rung and 'Logan Theo' and his opponent threw their Pokeballs towards the Battle Ring. His opponent chose a Golduck for this Battle, and Logan Theo… brought out a Cloyster, the bivalve Pokemon!

"A Cloyster…!" Kay gasped.

"But the Golduck looks pretty tough!" grinned Parker. "Come on! Show that arrogant bastard a thing or two!"

Tessa sweatdropped. "What're you riled up for…?"

The Golduck started off the Battle with a nice-looking Water Gun attack, which the Cloyster retaliated by simply closing its shell down tight, hiding its head within. The Golduck's Trainer then ordered the Golduck to continue shooting Water Guns at it, but there was no effect whatsoever. After some time, the Golduck decided to use Fury Swipes on the bivalve Pokemon, but again the Cloyster did not even budge even a little.

"What the heck?!" Parker cursed. "You coward! Stop letting your Pokemon hide under its shell! Let it battle like a REAL Pokemon…!"

"C, Calm down, Parker!" Kay pleaded.

"Quiet!" Leader Dempsey snapped, quickly shutting up both Kay and Parker. "Pay attention to this moment here."

Kay nodded and went back to staring at the screen, where the Golduck was still hacking and swiping at the Cloyster's shell, hoping to force it open. But then something strange happened: the Cloyster's shell started to glow! It happened pretty quickly: at first the entire bivalve Pokemon started glowing white, but then crimson-colored cracks started appearing on it. Then the white glow broke apart like a shell, leaving the Cloyster's body glowing entirely red!

The Golduck took another swipe at it, but with incredible speed, the Cloyster suddenly zoomed away to the side!

"Whoa…!" gasped Kay. "That was fast…!"

The Cloyster kept its shell closed the entire time, and its body was still glowing crimson. But then the large spike – the one protruding above its head that was actually sticking out from the inside – shifted, and mimicked what sounded like a gun cocking. The Golduck turned around… but it was not prepared for what came after.

The Cloyster's shell flashed white for a split second and suddenly crimson energy shaped like spikes started shooting at the duck Pokemon! Kay, Tessa, and Parker watched in shock as the spikes kept on coming for five times in a row, pummeling the Golduck until it backed away into the Battle Ring's barrier. The spikes stopped for a brief moment, just enough for the Golduck to breathe… only for the spikes to come shooting at it again a second time! Then more… and then more…!

The Golduck's Trainer cried out for his Pokemon, but it was still blasted continuously.

Then the Cloyster finally stopped.

But it left the Golduck's face completely swollen and bruised. The Golduck slid down the barrier, its entire body limp, and fell on its side. The Mr. Mime referee stepped in, and the Battle was officially stopped due to a complete knockout. The video ended there, but it left a bitter taste in Kay and the others.

"That was Cloyster's 'Spike Cannon' move," said Dempsey. "How many shots do you think that Cloyster got into that Golduck before the Battle ended? **20**. This year's competition for the title of Rookie Trainer Champion is tough… and this Logan Theo? I think… When it comes to talent, he might actually be better than Inez."

Kay frowned at that.

"There's a reason why many people are calling him the 'Pokemon Genius'. In either case… you have quite a lot hurdles placed in front of you, Kid – the tournament is not going to be a walk in the park, and definitely unlike your previous two Pokemon Battles."

"…" Kay couldn't think of anything to say to that.

"But I have one more news for you, Kid." He straightened himself up. "With the schedule for the East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament already been decided… you are currently placed under Block A, and your first opponent has already been named."

"…!"

Leader Dempsey stared Kay right in her eyes for a while, and he noticed the anxiety and curiosity in them. After some time, he finally gave the name:

"... '**Iva Parish'**."

* * *

And elsewhere, a round-shaped Pokemon knocked its fists together...

It slowly took a battle stance, and tightened its right fist. Said fist started to glow a bright blue, and the mysterious Pokemon swung it towards the side of a punching bag with a big right hook.

**WHAM!**

The punching bag went flying high sideways and up in the air, before swinging harshly back down. And the sound of violent rattling from a chain echoed across the room.

* * *

**FazzEagle: **And there you go: Chapter 23! And the OCs involved in the East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament have all been named! Each one posed a different level of a challenge, but Kay intends to keep her promise with Inez and have their tie-breaker Pokemon Battle in the Battle Stadium. Kay's first opponent, however, is an OC Trainer that goes by the name '**Iva Parish**'! I'm not sure if the one submitting the character would want to be called out here so I'mma leave that out for now until told otherwise. What kind of Pokemon does this person have? Keep reading on and find out in the next chapters! Also, I've changed it so that thoughts will be in _Italics_.

And don't forget to leave a **review** to tell me what you think of the read! And thank you again for those who have submitted their characters to be used in the story! For those whose characters have not been mentioned here, don't worry - that's because their debut are much further into the story!

Some others still need to wait for a lot longer though.


	24. The Girl from Kalos!

**Chapter 24 – The Girl from Kalos!**

"Right!"

Hearing that, Teppo tightened its right fist before throwing a hard straight forward, slamming it against Kay's left focus mitt. Her hand snapped sideways and backwards from the force of the punch; however, she merely winced before she straightened up said hand again.

"Left…!"

The Pignite thrust its left hand forward this time, hitting Kay's right focus mitt accurately. Even when the Pignite was right-handed, the strength in its left hand still caused its Trainer's hand to snap backwards; if it wasn't for the fact that Kay was used to this by now, she could have easily lost her balance!

"Alright! One-two…!"

This time, the Pignite tightened its right hand into a ball of fist again, but threw its left palm forward first. As soon as its left struck Kay's right, Teppo quickly twisted its body from its waist, and slammed its right fist into Kay's left with incredible vigor. The two punches sounded across the already busy Gym, and the Trainer and her Pokemon continued with this pattern for a little while more.

Tessa, Parker, and Sodo watched from nearby.

"Looks like those two are still as hyped as ever…" sighed Tessa. "Peaches and I can barely keep up with them these days."

"I wonder if Kay becoming Rookie Trainer Champion is not a dream anymore…?" asked Parker after taking a sip from his water bottle. "Heh… To think that it's just barely a year since she joined up. Most Rookie Trainer Champions normally become big names in the future too…"

Tessa smiled. "I wonder if Kay herself ever thinks about that sort of thing? They're just going after Inez and Blaze after all…"

The two of them watched as Kay and Teppo continued to train together – it's quite heart-warming for them, actually. So inspiring; so motivating; so…

"Sounds like you two amateurs are jealous." Of course; who else but Sodo would say something like that. The man in question was currently lying on a weight-lifting bench, focusing on lifting a heavy barbell up and down. Next to him was his Machoke, lying on its own weight-lifting bench and even lifting its own equally heavy barbell. "Considering the fact that neither of you won your respective Rookie King Tournaments."

"What did you say?!" snapped Parker. "T-That was a long time ago, damn it! I was just unlucky!"

Sodo smirked. "Sounds like loser talk, Blondie! Gyahahaha…!"

An angry vein popped out of the side of Tessa's head, followed by a devilish idea. A short time later, Tessa gently placed her hands onto the bar of Sodo's barbell… and without hesitance started pushing down most of her upper body weight on it!

"What the heck are you doing?!" Sodo barked, struggling to keep the barbell up. "Get off!"

"Take back what you said about us then…!" ordered Tessa. "Don't make me sit on it…!"

"Show him who's boss, Tess…!" Parker cheered… before pressing his hand down onto Sodo's stomach. "Take that, you bastard…!"

Sodo gritted his teeth as his arms started to ache, but surprisingly… he was still strong enough to push the barbell upwards! "**GRAHH**!" The sudden push startled Tessa to take a few steps back, but Sodo's knee actually struck Parker in the chin! "**Who's the bastard here, HUH**?!" Sodo snapped as he stood on the bench, raising the barbell over his head like it was nothing.

"CALM DOWN, MAN!" Parker cried out, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "IF YOU DROP THAT ON ME, I'll DIE!"

Kay and Teppo sweatdropped, watching the scene unfold. "What are they up to this time…?"

"Kay…!" a familiar voice suddenly called out. "Kay, guess what!"

Charles came running from upstairs, waving a piece of paper. Kay and Teppo quickly turned their attention towards him – the same with Sodo, Tessa, and Parker, with the third luckily spared from Sodo's wrath.

Charles gave Kay a grin and then flashed the paper to her. "The tournament bracket is finally here!"

"Really?" Kay quickly took the paper offered to her, and before she knew it, Sodo, Tessa, and Parker were already standing behind her to take a look as well. "W, Whoa… So there's a total of 16 Pokemon Trainers entering the Tournament…"

Charles nodded. "That's right, and the tournament is divided into two blocks. I think Leader Dempsey already told you that you're in Block A, right?"

"That's right…" But Kay was looking for someone else. "Ah! Inez is in Block B…!" She couldn't help but feel disappointed though. "That means we won't be seeing her anytime soon in the tournament…"

"Isn't that great though?" asked Parker. "I mean… now all you two need to do is win your respective Pokemon Battles and you two could meet in the finals. Now THAT sounds more fitting for the both of ya." He gave Kay a thumbs up, which cheered her up a little. "And apparently she's not the only one we know who's there," Parker pointed out. "Looks like Braith Lambert is also in Block B. So both of them are seeds for that Block, huh? Then that means…"

Tessa reached her hand forward to point at a couple of names on the paper. "Looks like the other two seeds, C. Ellis and Logan Theo, are in Block A."

Parker scoffed at the second name. "That's the 'genius' Pokemon Trainer, right?"

"Kind of makes you wonder though…" asked Tessa. "I mean, who WOULD win in a Pokemon Battle? Inez and Blaze, or Logan Theo and his Cloyster? I mean… Leader Dempsey did say that Logan Theo might be more talented when it comes to Pokemon Battling."

"Well I say that Inez will definitely beat the crap out of that Cloyster…!"

"Ahem…" Charles suddenly cleared his throat. "Um... you two…?"

Charles pointed in front of him. Tessa and Parker slowly lowered their heads to see what he was pointing at, only to then realize that it was Kay that Charles was pointing at. For some reason, Kay was puffing up her cheeks and looking pretty angry… at them.

"C, Crap…!" flustered Tessa, suddenly realizing why. "W, We're not saying that you won't win or anything…! Y, You'll definitely win and meet Inez in the finals…!"

"Oh…!" Parker flustered as well. "T, That's right…! We were just being curious is all…!"

It did worry Kay, however, but she would not allow herself to lose sight of her goal that easily. "I think Teppo and I should focus more on our first opponent in the tournament," Kay said. She looked back to her name, and once again found the name: "'Iva Parish'… That's an unusual name… It sounds pretty foreign."

"That's because it is," Charles pointed out. "She and her family are originally from the Kalos region."

"Oh, is that so…" said Kay and the others in unison… until… "EHHH?"

"Well… we did do some research on her." Charles started dragging his finger on his digital board's screen, and after tapping on it a few times, gently turned it around to show the screen to everyone else. "This is Iva Parish."

'_What kind of person is this Iva Parish_?!' thought Tessa, feeling a sweat trail down the side of her head. '_Kalos is a pretty rich region! Could she be someone rich?! __**Gulp**_…!'

'_And Kalos pretty much rivals Hoenn in terms of Pokemon Training facilities_…!' thought Sodo. '_Could this Iva Parish be someone who had gone through extensive training?! __**Gulp**_…!'

Parker joined in as well in anticipation: '_A lot of girls from Kalos are usually HOT_…! _Not to mention Kalos stands for being one of the more fashionable regions out there… Could this Iva Parish be some kind of incredible beauty?! __**Gulp**_…!'

And as Kay and everyone quickly moved their eyes to Iva Parish's picture… all they did was blink.

The picture on the screen showed an image of Iva Parish from the waist up. She was… not exactly how they pictured her to look like: she didn't have an exotic body, and in fact was pale and skinnier than they imagined; her dirty blonde hair was unkempt instead of fitting the image of a 'rich girl' – as in: no ribbons or expensive-looking highlights; finally, those dark brown eyes of hers… just looked so disinterested.

"Oy, Charles…" Sodo called. "Who is this bored-looking girl here?"

"… that's Iva Parish," Charles pointed out. "Rather, what kind of question is that…?"

"Are you sure this girl is from Kalos…?" Parker asked, squinting his eyes at the picture.

Charles sweatdropped at that. "I'm… not exactly sure what all of you were expecting, but from what we gathered she was definitely born in Kalos before she moved here with her family around two years or so ago. Unfortunately we don't have any videos of any of her Pokemon Battles…" He turned his digital clipboard again and started tapping on the screen again. "But we were able to learn something very interesting about her Pokemon: one, it's a Makuhita."

Kay blinked. "Makuhita…?" She knew the name, but there wasn't much she knew about the Pokemon. Thinking quickly, she pocketed out her Pokedex and searched for the Pokemon's name. Once found, she tapped her finger on the screen, and began to read the text that popped up. "The Fighting-Type guts Pokemon… It toughens up by slamming into thick trees over and over to gain a sturdy body and a dauntless spirit. It grows stronger by enduring harsh training… and it is a gutsy Pokémon that can withstand… any attack."

"That's a Fighting-Type Pokemon, alright…" said Tessa, nodding to the Pokedex. "Wow, when you think about it, this is actually going to be the first Fighting-Type Pokemon Teppo will be battling against since Blaze!"

"That's right...!" Kay agreed. "But Teppo is part Fire-Type and part Fighting-Type though…"

"From the way your Pignite usually battles? If it wasn't for its Fire Punch, I think a lot of people could easily forget that it's part Fire-Type."

"I still think it'll be an interesting Pokemon Battle though… See?" She showed the screen of her Pokedex to Tessa, who unfortunately didn't get it. "A Pignite and a Makuhita are around the same size."

Parker raised an eyebrow, leaning to the side to peek down at Kay's Pokedex. "I don't really see what's the big deal there…"

"Oh!" Tessa clasped her hands together. "Don't you get it, Parker? Aside from this being the first time Teppo will be battling a fellow Fighting-Type in the Battle Ring… it's also the first time Teppo will be battling a Pokemon its own size!" She raised a finger matter-of-factly. "First there was Wally Bailey's Meowth, which was way smaller than Teppo."

"Oh! Then there was that guy and his Heatmor – that was the first time Teppo went up against a Pokemon that bigger than itself."

"Even back then when they were facing Inez and Blaze," Sodo added. "Teppo was actually a little taller too. Heh, kind of strange if you think about it." But his smirk faded as he started to muse. "But a Makuhita isn't a pushover Pokemon and judging from what we read from the Pokedex, it would take someone really tough to handle a Pokemon like that."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a distant rural area, a Primeape – the evolved form of a Mankey, the pig monkey Pokemon - was shuffling slowly sideways, keeping its fists and in turn its guard up. It was sparring against a Pokemon, who slowly closed in on it. Eventually, the Primeape dashed forward, and threw a straight right as hard as it could… but the Pokemon – a Makuhita – didn't even budge! The Makuhita forced its way forward, and when the Primeape tried to raise its guard again…

… the Makuhita slammed its left fist into the pig monkey's right side! The punch was enough to cause the evolved Pokemon to hunch forward in pain, and it was way too late for it to try and recover; the Makuhita quickly followed this up with its right, swinging it inwards into a powerful hook right against the side of the Primeape's head!

Just like that, the Primeape fell over on its side, leaving the Makuhita to raise its fist up triumphantly.

"R, Return…!" called out the Primeape's Trainer, followed by a flash of red light enveloping the defeated Pokemon as it was called back into its Pokeball. "Wow… That Makuhita sure is strong… It actually took out my Primeape with one hook…"

"Hmph."

The owner of the Makuhita, Iva Parish, was standing on the other side of the makeshift Battle Ring, with her arms crossed over her chest and her head arrogantly turned the other way. Much like her picture shown to Kay and the others, her hair was unkempt and all she wore were a plain t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants – though, granted either one looked to be branded goods. She still didn't look like someone who came from a wealthy family.

But the rest of the Gym didn't look that financially successful either.

Their Gym looked to have been built entirely out of wood and planks, and compared to Dempsey's Gym there were only a handful number of people there – though aside from Iva herself, none of them were ranked Pokemon Trainers. Interestingly though, their Battle Ring was more well-made than the aforementioned Gym's: instead of just a Pokeball pattern painted on the floor, theirs was painted on an actual circle platform designed specifically for it; their training equipment were lacking though, but a few of them were definitely costly compared to the rest.

Iva soon recalled her Makuhita back into its Pokeball, but the expression on her face wasn't someone who was satisfied from her Pokemon Trainer, but the expression of someone who just wanted to leave. "Hey, are we done yet…?" asked Iva with an irritated tone, frowning to the side. "I don't think this can even count as REAL training."

The young man she was sparring with lowered his head apologetically. "S, Sorry, Parish… It's just that your Makuhita is just too strong…"

"Hmph. Of course my Pokemon is strong! But it's also because your Pokemon is too weak!" She turned to her side, looking away from the now dejected young man. "I'm leaving."

"Where do you think you're going…!"

Someone suddenly stood in Iva's way; it was an aged woman – probably around her fifties – but despite that she still looked fit enough. In contrast with Iva herself, this woman's skin was darker, most probably from being under the sun a lot. Her hair was short and black, but partially hidden underneath a beanie much like Dempsey's. She was, however, shorter than the Kalos-born girl standing in front of her.

This was their Gym Leader, Lacy McKnight.

"Where do you think I'm going?" asked Iva. "I'm heading home, of course."

"W, What…? You can't…!" Leader Lacy held her arms sideways. "You can't just head home now! We just started not that long ago…! You're in the East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament so you need to take this a lot more seriously! Have you even read the info we got on your first opponent?"

"Riiight. Something… 'Plain'… or something like that, right? So what? Are you telling me that my Pokemon and I should be scared of her and her Pokemon?"

"No, that's not it…! It's-…!"

"Alright, alright…" groaned the girl. "I'll have my Makuhita do its roadwork. That should appease you, right?"

"Listen to me, Iva…!" Iva tried to walk around her, but once again Lucia stood in her way - she was a very energetic woman for someone her age. "As long as you're in this Gym, I need to make sure that you train your Pokemon properly! Doing roadwork is fine, but-…"

Iva, however, noticed several bandages around her Gym Leader's fingers, and she narrowed her eyes. "Don't worry about it; my Makuhita will win the Pokemon Battle. That way, this Gym will get some attention, right? Now if you'll excuse me…"

"That's not the point! Hey, Iva, I'm talking to you…!" Unfortunately, the girl simply walked around her, juggling her Pokeball in one hand, before stepping outside the Gym, leaving her Gym Leader steamed. "Honestly, that girl…! She's always doing whatever she wants… if it wasn't for the fact that her parents had generously donated some training equipment…" She turned around, facing the young man from earlier. "Sorry you had to see that! But thank you so much for sparring with her! You have no idea just how hard it is to get anyone else here to do that…"

He chuckled weakly at that. "It's okay… She's as blunt as always though. But still… she really wasn't lying when she said her Makuhita pulled back its punch, was she…?"

The woman stared at the young man hard, but then let out a sigh in defeat. "Yes… Despite that attitude of hers, she's right about her Pokemon." She looked to the side, towards the Gym's entrance. "Her Pokemon's finishing blow IS the move that leads to that killer right hook after all." But then the old woman growled. "I hate to admit it… but her Pokemon's strength is the real deal."

"She can definitely win the Rookie Trainer Champion title then!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Iva had just slid the door close behind her once she stepped out of the Gym. With the disinterested look on her face, she stared silently down at her Pokeball in her hands. Then she let out a sigh… before slowly bringing her hands to her face… and crouching down… with her entire face suddenly red as beet.

'_**I DID IT AGAIN**_…!' thought Iva, wailing silently. '_Why do I keep doing that… At this rate, I can never get along with anyone here…! I really wanted to just thank him for that spar too…!' _She quickly calmed herself down, and took a deep breath. _'Ever since I moved here from Kalos… I couldn't make a single friend. Back in Kalos… things were different.'_

In her mind, she recalled a memory where she actually had friends surrounding her.

'_But here…' _Then she remembered herself coming to her new school in Unova, but she was left sitting alone while her classmates chatted happily with each other. _'And I put up this strong front so people won't think less of me…but it only made me more distant from them.'_

She remembered how she used to be more active and cheerful, but due to the fact that her classmates labelled her as 'unapproachable' and as a 'loner', she slowly succumbed to becoming that way, until eventually she grew uninterested in many things.

* * *

Flashback to around a year ago…

She and her family were eating dinner together that night, but while her parents were enjoying their food, Iva herself was just kicking the broccoli on her plate around with her fork. Her parents saw this, and looks of worry soon washed over their faces.

"Is… everything alright, dear?" her mother asked. "You look ever so bored… Are you not enjoying your dinner? The Chef really outdone himself tonight, if I do say so myself."

"Huh?" Iva responded half-heartedly. "Oh, yeah… Sure. Whatever."

Her father shared his wife's concern. "Honey, we were wondering… Remember last week when I told you to perhaps find a hobby for yourself? Have you found one? If you do, then… well, we'll be more than happy to provide you with everything you need! Swimming?"

"Clothes designing?" asked the mother.

Iva grumbled at both those choices. "Too much work… but I did wonder about one thing: Pokemon Battling."

"Oh!" Her father sounded excited by that. "So you're interested in that sport then?"

"Curious, more likely. I mean… I guess it looks kind of fun on TV." But in her head: '_Plus, all I have to do is just stand there and give out orders to the Pokemon – that sounds a lot less taxing than swimming or designing clothes_.'

* * *

Back in the present…

'_And my parents got me a Pokemon specially bred for Pokemon Battles… and it was even obedient from the start. I chose this Gym because I really felt that they would appreciate my presence here… and they did – they were so welcoming because my Pokemon was the strongest they've ever seen. It took a lot of convincing on my parents… but I eventually joined and got my Pokemon Trainer License. But then…_'

She recalled her fellow Gym mates constantly praising her for her Pokemon, and one of her habits eventually had her feeling proud of her Makuhita and even boasting about its prowess… and there were even times that she got carried away and started talking others down on their Pokemon compared to hers.

'_Then people started distancing themselves from me… I didn't mean to do that… But it's all going to pay off soon_…!'

She stood up confidently.

'_With my Makuhita, I'll win the title of Rookie Trainer Champion! Then I can start earning more prize money, and give the Gym more training equipment…! I can redeem myself that way… and show everyone that I'm not a bad person…_!'

Then she recalled seeing those bandages on Leader Lacy's fingers. Iva may not have said it, but she knew it was probably from sewing up the old punching bags the Gym had before they came. She looked into her own hand, and she realized that unlike her Gym Leader's, hers was smooth and fair – Leader Lucy's were rough from both age and heavy working.

"…"

She closed her eyes for a brief moment before looking ahead, and then finally started walking away from the old Gym.

* * *

**FazzEagle: **And there's Chapter 24! This OC was made and submitted by **Condor-K **so for that you have my thanks and I hope your character is portrayed nicely so far in this Chapter - though I also threw in a few additions like how she's originally from Kalos. Honestly, I kept picturing her like one of those rich, tsundere rich characters you see in anime, but I'm pleased to know that she actually doesn't. Her Pokemon is none other than a Makuhita, and interestingly it will be the first time Kay's Pignite will be battling against a Pokemon its own size! But what is the 'move' that Leader Lucy was talking about? You'll all find out in the next chapter! But be assured that the next Pokemon Battle will be between two heavy-hitters! Would it all come down to who can punch the hardest?

Again, thank you, **Condor-K**, for the wonderful OC!

As always, please **review** to tell me what you think of the read!


	25. The Fighting Spirit Punch!

**Chapter 25 – The Fighting Spirit Punch!**

Everyone had gathered in front of Leader Lacy's rundown Pokemon Gym, with 'everyone' meaning just Iva, Lacy, and two other Gym members – one of them being the young man with the Primeape that sparred against Iva's Makuhita that time, and the other a girl Iva's age. The others – though not exactly many in number – just didn't bother to show up.

"Do you understand, Iva?" Leader Lacy asked. "You will be going to the Gym in the next town over for a friendly sparring match. I would come along… but there are just too many things that require my attention here." That, and though she didn't like thinking about it: it just seemed like Iva would not want her company anyway.

Iva scoffed, and then turned her head to the side with a frown. "Why do I even have to go? It's not like my Makuhita is getting rusty in a Pokemon Battle anytime soon." She crossed her arms. "I even went to the trouble to have daddy pay someone to make sure it eats and trains properly at home during the times I don't come here."

"W, What…!" Her Gym Leader definitely didn't sound impressed. "You had someone ELSE take care of your Pokemon? I told YOU to look after its training personally!"

Iva only looked worried for a brief moment before she put on her tough front again. "Why should I? I know my own body and I know I'm not capable of keeping up with a Pokemon like Makuhita, so since I didn't want to be the one to get in the way of its training, I had someone with more stamina to handle all that. Don't worry – we hire only the best Pokemon Breeders and Trainers."

"That's not the point…" Lacy dropped her head in defeat and sighed heavily, surrendering herself from trying to reason with her. "In either case, just make sure that you're at your best behavior when meeting these people; they're really doing us a favor here."

"But why do I have to go all the way there…?" asked Iva, looking the other way with brows furrowed. "Why can't I just stay here?"

"You know very well why a lot of people might not want to come here." Lacy looked back at her Gym, and at that moment the signboard where the name 'McKnight Gym' was printed on tilted a little on one side, causing everyone to sweatdrop. "As for… well… the other reason…" Their Gym Leader seemed to be struggling a little on this one.

That was when one of the other two – the young man – stepped forward. "It's really hard for us to admit it, Parish…" he said with a weakened smile. "… but no one in the Gym is good enough anymore to spar against you and your Pokemon; you two always had to hold back because of us." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, but Iva felt a little bad hearing all that. "So we thought that maybe you could improve a lot more sparring against other ranked Pokemon Trainers."

"…" Iva looked at them for a moment before looking the other way once more. "… yeah… I guess you're right."

Leader Lacy, however, caught on something from the girl's expression, and sighed. '_Honestly, this girl_…' The Gym Leader then stepped closer to Iva for the first time since stepping out here. "We're counting on you, Iva." This made Iva blink. "We're counting on you and your Pokemon to win the East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament… but most importantly, we're counting on you…" The Gym Leader then gave her one of her famous genuine smiles. "… because you're representing all of us here."

"That's right!" said the young man. "You and your Pokemon are really strong! I-… Well, **we** know you can win it! We'll be cheering for you no matter what!"

All those words from both of them caused Iva's cheeks to turn red, but she quickly looked the other way to hide that. "O, Of course I know that…!" she huffed. "Don't you think I would already know that?"

The Gym Leader sighed again. "Just thought you could maybe use some words of encouragement. Oh, look – your ride's here." She pointed to the side just as a limousine pulled over nearby – the vehicle alone looked like it could dwarf what the Gym was worth. The two Trainers behind Lacy, however, marveled at just how big and shiny it was. "Well, looks like it's time for you to go. We'll see each other again once you're done and you can tell us all about it."

Iva turned her sights momentarily to her expensive transport, seeing the driver already stepping outside and opening one of the doors for her. "… alright, I'm out of here. I'll show everyone from the other Gym what we're capable of." She meant 'we' to refer to the Gym in all, but at least one of the three in front of her thought she just meant her Makuhita and herself.

"Good luck, Parish!" the young man said, pumping his fist up. "We can't wait to hear all about it…!"

Iva, without saying another word, simply turned away and walked towards her limousine. A wordless greeting to the driver and soon she disappeared inside the vehicle, eventually leaving the Gym as the limousine drove off.

* * *

"Keep going, Teppo!"

As always during their days visiting Dempsey's Gym, Kay and Teppo were working hard on their Pokemon Training. At the moment, Kay was cheering and instructing her Pignite as it hit the punching bag, using its left for several Arm Thrusts as usual, and when Kay would call for it, its right for a powerful right. Eventually Kay did call for the latter, and the punching bag swung backwards from her fire pig's right fist.

"Look at that," said Parker, putting his hands on his waist while sighing. "Even though they know almost little to nothing about their opponents, they're still looking confident as ever. Not to mention the fact that their match is actually the opening for the rest of the tournament…"

Tessa sat down on the bench near him, carrying a bottle of water in hand. "I remembered when we were in the tournament… I was nervous from head to toe." Tessa groaned at that. "I wish I was that focused back then..."

"Teppo!" Kay shouted. "Fire Punch, now!" And as her Pignite readied its fist to be ignited with flames, Kay's eyes shifted towards the tournament brackets, now posted on the wall not far from them. On the paper several names were circled – mainly the 'seeds' – but Kay was focused on one particular name. '_We need to keep winning_…' she mused. '_That way we can finally meet with Inez and Blaze in the finals…! They're probably thinking of the same thing_...'

"N, Nite…! Pignite…!"

'_We have to continue to focus on our goal_…!'

"Nite…!"

"Huh?" Kay finally heard her Pokemon's cries. "What's wrong-" … and the punching bag swung right into her, hitting her square on her side! The girl was knocked right off her feet, and comically tumbled inside and out onto the floor. "G… Good… job… Teppo…" She was lying on her front with swirls in her eyes.

As her Pokemon went over to check on her, Tessa and Parker, sweatdropping, watched… and then looked at each other with worry.

"Yeah, right…" said Parker. "There's no way she couldn't be feeling any pressure…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Iva – in her limousine – finally arrived at the Gym in the other town. Unlike Leader Lacy's Gym, this Gym looked better-maintained and it was definitely able to accommodate more people, Pokemon and training equipment. As she stepped out of the car and told her driver to wait, people from inside the Gym were watching her in awe. Iva soon stepped in, still wearing that uninterested expression, and looked around the room, only to be met by many eyes.

"I'm from McKnight's Gym," announced Iva. "I'm here for the friendly spar."

A couple of Trainers in the room whispered to each other but eventually they sent one of them – a woman – to greet her. "We were expecting you!" she said. "So you're from that Gym, huh? We… really didn't expect this coming from there."

Iva frowned at that. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing…!" the woman defensively waved her hands. "Call me 'Jane'; I'll be your sparring partner." She offered her hand to Iva after. "As you may have probably known by now, I'm also in the East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament – let's work together, alright?"

"…" Iva stared at that hand for a couple of seconds before finally accepting the friendly handshake, but that didn't change the fact that she just wanted to get all this done and over with. "I'm ready to spar whenever, but the sooner we do the better."

Some of the other Trainers in the room didn't like the first impression Iva was giving them, of course.

"What's with that attitude…?" a Trainer whispered to another. "Acting all snobbish like that… Isn't she from 'that' Gym?"

"Yeah, it's weird…" whispered another. "And she even came in a limousine – is she just showing off now…?"

Jane frowned but only for a brief second; she returned to smiling and started ushering Iva towards their Gym's Battle Ring. She took out her Pokeball to release her Pokemon first: a Golem. "Here's my Golem!" said Jane, patting the Rock-Type on the back of its boulder body. "His name's Rocko. What's your Pokemon?"

Iva pocketed out her Pokeball – a Model Three that looked to have been custom-made – a little while later. Casually dropping it on the floor, her Makuhita popped out of in a bright flash of white, its arms and fists raised battle-ready. "My Pokemon is a Makuhita," said Iva without turning to face either Jane or even her own Pokemon. "And no, I don't have a nickname for it in case you're wondering."

Jane said nothing to that and simply walked with her Pokemon to one side of the Battle Ring. Iva and her Makuhita would do the same, and without much interaction between them.

"Listen," said Iva to her Makuhita. "This is just sparring so there's no need to go all out. As always, just follow my instructions."

"Maku." The Makuhita nodded firmly before stepping onto the Battle Ring.

The two Pokemon Trainers waited until one of the others from the Gym stepped forward to call the spar. After making sure that all Trainers and their Pokemon were ready, the acting referee threw his arms sideways, signaling them to start battling.

"Rocko, use Tackle!" shouted Jane.

The Golem let out a cry before charging forward, attempting to use its greater height and six hundred pounds of weight to knock down the Makuhita early on.

"Makuhita!" cried out Iva. "Stop that Golem from advancing!"

Iva didn't call out for her Pokemon to go on offense, which was actually the least surprising considering what she had just asked her Pokemon, who was both shorter and much lighter than the charging megaton Pokemon, to do!

Nonetheless the Makuhita obeyed; it stomped forward and extended its strong hands towards the Golem. It caught the Golem's Tackle, but there was struggle as the Makuhita – despite planting its feet firmly on the ground – was still getting pushed back. Not surprisingly, the Golem's sheer size and weight overpowered it and the Makuhita had to quickly step to the side to avoid getting trampled over, and the Golem stopped when it found out its target had moved.

"Ceh…" Iva cursed under her breath. "Looks like a Golem is too heavy for it after all…"

"That was gutsy of you two!" said Jane. "For a while there I really thought your Makuhita could really stop my Golem!" But Iva didn't respond and instead only frowned at her in return – that didn't sit quite well with Jane. "… Rocko!" She called for her Golem, and when the megaton Pokemon looked at her, she gave it an ominous signal with a nod. "Rocko, use Steamroller!"

The megaton Pokemon curled itself into its boulder of a shell, and then started rolling quickly towards the Makuhita. At first the Makuhita was ready to either attack or even stop it with its bare hands again… but then the Golem suddenly went faster! "…!" The Fighting-Type instinctively tried to step aside, but the boulder-like body of the Golem struck it right at its side, and it knocked the Makuhita onto its back!

"…!?" Iva's eyes snapped open, and she quickly glared at the Golem's Trainer. "Hey! This is just a spar; tell your Pokemon to hold back!" But to Iva's surprise, all Jane did was smirk. And even when the Makuhita was down, the Golem was still rolling right at it! This time it merely grazed it, but the damage was still there. "What do you think you're doing?! My Pokemon was down!"

"Sorry, sorry…" said Jane. "… but I just can't stand the way you look down on me and my Pokemon anymore."

Again, the Golem swerved when it neared the edge of the Battle Ring, and rolled right towards Iva's Makuhita when it was just getting back up on its feet, but fortunately the latter moved away in the nick of time.

"We accepted your Gym's proposal for a spar because we felt sorry for you all…!" Jane snapped. "Even then we originally planned to beat whoever you were sending quickly just to show how different in levels we are…!"

Iva gritted her teeth, but then saw as her Makuhita continued to struggle against the rolling Golem.

"We're surprised that someone like you came from that crummy old Gym instead…! I mean, how did you end up in a Gym like that? You should just quit that broken down Gym while you can and join us; I doubt that Gym of yours can last another year financially anyway!"

"You…!" Iva growled, but she kept telling herself to endure…

"The Trainers who go there must be pretty desperate… and I guess the Gym Leader must be the same too…!"

"…!" That was the last straw. Suddenly, the expression on Iva's face hardened. "Makuhita…" Just hearing the tone of her voice caught the Makuhita's attention, and despite still being in the way of the Golem's Steamroller… "… Bullet Punch."

Suddenly, just like that, the Makuhita stood straight up and stepped aside, almost causing the Golem to roll out of the Battle Ring if it had not stopped in the nick of time. In its panic, its head and limbs popped out once more, but right as soon as it turned around to face its Fighting-Type opponent… a hard punch nailed it right across the side of its head!

The Golem staggered sideways, but forced its way to face the Makuhita again, only to be struck in the body three times in its shelled midsection! It was the Makuhita throwing several punches with its left, but while it seemingly did nothing at first…

*Crack!*

"…!?" Jane's eyes snapped wide open.

The boulder-shell shielding her Golem's chest was actually starting to crack! Those punches thrown by the Makuhita weren't ordinary punches at all... True to the name of the move, the punches were piercing through the Golem's body like bullets! Eventually one punch caused the Golem to hunch forward… and seeing that, the Makuhita tightened its right fist.

* * *

Back in Leader Lacy's Gym, their Gym Leader was busy repairing one of their punching bags, apparently torn by one of the Trainers' Pokemon during training. Helping her was the girl – the same one with her that tagged along to see Iva off earlier that morning.

"Hey, Leader?" asked the girl. "I only came not that long ago so I don't really know much about Parish… but her Pokemon is really strong, right?"

"Hm? Well, there's no denying that…" As she talked, Leader Lacy was still able to focus on sewing. "But… I don't think you've seen Iva and her Pokemon at their best yet. We weren't lying when we said that they've been holding back sparring against you and everyone else here. In a way… I guess that's her way of showing that she cares." Or at least that was what she wanted to believe.

"You said her Makuhita's finishing blow is its right hook… I've seen it do that many times."

"A right hook is definitely its finishing blow… but in the end it all comes down to the kind of power the Pokemon puts into it." Saying so, Leader Lacy suddenly stopped moving her hands along the bag, her eyes staring towards their makeshift Battle Ring. "It's not a move a Pokemon can just learn from so easily… Many call it a 'punch that utilizes the Pokemon's fighting spirit', and it's considered one of the strongest moves a Fighting-Type can learn… That move is..."

* * *

… and seeing that, the Makuhita tightened its right fist. As the Golem looked on, wincing from the pain on its body, it saw something incredible: the Makuhita's fist was suddenly glowing – bright blue in color – and the megaton Pokemon could sense the incredible power radiating from the Fighting-Type. The Makuhita pulled its right arm backwards, readying itself…

And Iva merely had to say two words: "… **Focus Punch**."

Whether or not her Pokemon heard her didn't matter; the Makuhita was already swinging the glowing right towards the Golem's lowered head. To everyone's surprise, the Golem was too hurt to either block or dodge it, and the glowing right hook SLAMMED right into the side of the Golem's head hard – so hard that the Golem's head was actually knocked directly downwards into the Battle Ring floor!

As its head crashed down, the rest of its body lost balance in one side, and eventually all six hundred pounds of it lied motionless on its side.

Jane's jaw dropped, and one of the other Trainers quickly rushed away from the Battle Ring when the Golem didn't respond at all.

"S, Someone…! Someone call the Pokemon Center…!"

* * *

News came quick the next day and it eventually reached Leader Dempsey through Charles. Jane's Golem was critically injured from that spar and the doctors said that it would at least take a month or two before it could fully recover; as such, Jane and her Pokemon had no choice but to pull out from the Rookie Trainer Tournament entirely. This news may have come as good to Jane's supposed opponent, but this was worrying to Iva Parish's.

"The Makuhita's finishing blow is a right hook…" said Charles. "And apparently it implements the power of a Focus Punch into it. That move is famous for its power..."

Leader Dempsey frowned, and he stared down hard at his desk thinking over all this. '_It's finishing blow is a right hook…_' he mused. '_And it uses a Focus Punch to give it its destructive power. No matter how I look at it… this is turning out to be the worst possible match-up with the Kid and her Pignite_…! _Damn it… Then there's only one thing to do_.'

* * *

"Kid…!" Leader Dempsey, who had just walked down from his office, called out. "Get down to the Battle Ring! We're going to start doing some hard training!"

Kay, who was doing pull-ups with her Pokemon, nodded quickly. "Yes, sir…!"

She didn't waste time and neither did Teppo. They made their way down the stairs, all the while wondering what kind of training Leader Dempsey had in mind, especially since he looked so fired up for some reason. However, their train of thought was cut abruptly short when they spotted a certain someone with their Pokemon already occupying the Ring.

"Sodo…?" Kay called. "Um… Leader Dempsey and I will be using the Battle Ring now…"

Sodo turned around… but instead of moving away he and his Machoke just grinned mischievously. "**GYAHAHA**...! Consider yourself lucky, Kid…!" said Sodo with an ominous tone. "… 'cause you two will be sparring against **US**!"

Kay and Teppo's eyes widened.

"**EHHHH**…?!"

* * *

**FazzEagle: **Sooo many things have been going on recently and I'm not sure if things will be looking tomorrow either. But! My passion for writing this story has not dwindled yet because here's Chapter 25! Also, I made it to 100+k words already - wow, time really flew by, didn't it? So in this chapter we see just what kind of 'weapon' Iva's Makuhita possesses... and it's one of the strongest Fighting-Type moves around. In the next chapter, we will learn a little more on the different kinds of offense in a Pokemon Battle, and the different forms they can take. But that may be the least difficult thing to do for Kay and Teppo as they first need to survive sparring against Sodo and his superpower Pokemon, Champ! Will it all come down to Fire Punch vs Focus Punch? Keep on reading and checking on the updates!

And as always, don't forget to **review** to tell me what you think of the read!

See you all in the next chapter!


	26. Punching Bag!

**Chapter 26 – Punching Bag!**

Kay and Teppo stood there with wide eyes. Did they actually hear him right? THEY were going to be sparring with THEM? Those – with the lack of a better word - MONSTERS?!

But Kay convinced herself to laugh it off. "That's not very funny, Sodo…" she said. "For a while there I almost believed you… Ha ha ha…" But when she looked back up at him, all she could see was his smile getting wider and cheekier – so much so that she could actually see almost his entire face wrinkling. Kay, feeling somewhat alarmed, turned her head slowly the other way. "Y, You really should step out before Leader Dempsey gets down here…" But she could actually sense it: Sodo was only smiling more and more, and why was he stepping closer and closer!? "He… He might get mad…"

Fortunately, Leader Dempsey had just arrived at that time.

"L, Leader Dempsey…!" she cried out with joy. "Thank goodness you're here…! Sodo was trying to force Teppo and I to spar against him and his Machoke…"

"What are you talking about?" asked Leader Dempsey. "You ARE sparring against them."

Well… she thought his arrival was 'fortunate'.

"**GYAHAHAHA**…!" Sodo laughed, very loudly. "Be thankful, Kid…! Not a lot of people get the chance to spar against a Pokemon Trainer as great as me! Savor the moment…!"

His Machoke – either it was trying to show off or intimidate her – started flexing its muscles by doing various poses, but each one showed just how powerful and sturdy the Pokemon's body was. Just the sight of them turned Kay and Teppo pale.

"N, No way…!" flustered Kay. "Sodo and his Pokemon are ranks ahead of us! There's no way we're any match for them…!"

"Stop whining!" scolded Dempsey. "I'm not going to ask you to actually try to win against him…! Sodo's Machoke will be using some thick padded boxing gloves to soften its blows and it will only be throwing right hooks at your Pignite."

"Right hooks…?" Kay blinked. "Why?"

"Because apparently that's your opponent's Makuhita's finishing blow," Sodo pointed out. "But it also uses Focus Punch to make its hook even more brutal. Unfortunately, Champ doesn't know Focus Punch, but this should be enough. **So come on and step up, pig**! My Machoke's eager to knock your head off! **GYAHAHA**!"

Kay turned pale again. "This is actually happening…"

"It is as he said though," Dempsey added. "Iva Parish's Makuhita utilizes the Focus Punch to deliver a killer right hook. Considering the fact that your Pokemon tends to get into an in-fight, it will only make it an easier target for it. But! There's actually a weak spot."

Suddenly the old man bended his knees and actually got into a fighting stance. He backed his right arm a little and…

WOOOSH!

To Kay's surprise, despite his age Leader Dempsey actually managed to throw a flawless right hook! In fact, if Kay had actually stood in the way of that, it would have probably left a bigger mark than his slap on her back during her previous Pokemon Battle…

"Look," said Dempsey, slowly bringing his right hand to reach for his bearded chin. "Notice anything?"

Kay mused over it, and it hit her in an instant: if Teppo moved backwards to avoid the hook, it would give the Makuhita ample time to see it coming, and if Teppo moved sideways there was a chance the Makuhita could hit Teppo with its left; there was only one direction Teppo could go! The girl slowly crouched down, and then stared upwards towards Dempsey's thick beard.

There.

"The chin is left wide open…" said Kay.

Leader Dempsey smiled a little at that – he was hoping that she would catch on quickly. "That's right," he said as he straightened himself up once more. "Let me tell you something about the benefits of physical moves of Pokemon." He closed his eyes for a brief moment before starting: "There are three types of moves in a Pokemon Battle: 'Physical', 'Special', and 'Status'. Moves considered to be Special are moves where the Pokemon does not necessarily have to make contact with its opponent. Moves like Ember or Ice Beam are examples of Special moves.

Status moves, on the other hand, deal absolutely no direct damage at all, but instead causes status conditions like poison, sleep, or burns. Some Status moves can even manipulate a Pokemon's strength and speed. Finally, there are the Physical moves." He held up one finger. "Physical moves are by far the most straightforward between the three as they are simply moves that requires the Pokemon to make physical contact with its opponent to deal damage.

But Physical moves have a unique trait. Most Special moves, while usually very effective in attacking the opponents in long range, normally only go in a specific direction; Physical moves on the other hand, like your Pignite's Fire Punch, can change its course depending on the Pokemon's own movements, making them unpredictable. For example, a Fire Punch can be thrown straight just as it could be thrown from the sides. In the case of your opponent, her Makuhita uses a Focus Punch to throw a right hook. Do you know why this makes the move dangerous?"

Kay mused over it, imagining the situation: if she had been Teppo, she thought, what would make the Makuhita's Focus Punch right hook a threat? If she stepped forward to close their distance, getting ready to throw a Fire Punch….

"…!" Kay finally got it! "… there's a chance that Teppo won't see the hook coming…!"

"That's right," Dempsey nodded. "A hook comes from the side and at times that can be any Pokemon's blind spot. There's also the other fact that you're on your podium and may not see it coming either, making it difficult for you to warn your Pokemon. But… if we were somehow able to teach your Pokemon to anticipate the move…"

"…! … then Teppo will be prepared for it. And with the Pokemon's chin exposed… Teppo could duck and…"

Dempsey nodded again and tightened his fist. "It's a variation of your Pignite's Fire Punch that it has only used a few times so far: Fire Punch uppercut…!"

He was right: Teppo had used its Fire Punch for an uppercut several times, namely against Cole Hart's Heatmor and… Inez's Combusken. "A counter to the Focus Punch right hook… but why does this feel like this is one of those situations where it's easier said than done…?"

"That's why we're having this training!" snapped Leader Dempsey. "Now enough wasting time and get your Pokemon in the Battle Ring!"

She wanted to protest a little more, but she knew that there was no way of changing her Gym Leader's mind right now. "A, Alright, Teppo…!" She turned to face her Pokemon, giving it an encouraging smile. "Sodo's Machoke will throw a hook like this…" She mimicked the hook Dempsey did earlier, albeit awkwardly. "… and when you see it coming, you have to duck…" She crouched down slowly, with Teppo not taking its eyes off of her. "… then uppercut…!" Doing the best she could, she swung her fist upwards. "Got it?"

"NIte…?" The Pokemon tilted its head, however.

"Remember…" said Kay, mimicking the right hook. "This… then this…" Crouched down… "… then this! Ha…!" Again she threw her fist upwards. "This…" And she would mimic the entire pattern over and over again.

Soon, even Teppo was standing next to her, following its Trainer's movements.

Leader Dempsey gave them all the time they needed for the time being… and while Sodo allowed them to do the same… he had other motives.

Sodo watched Kay intently as she moved her body into that uppercut, and while he did like to see the Pignite learning quickly… his eyes drifted off from the fire pig… to Kay herself – especially somewhere below her head.

'_Bouncy… Bouncy…_' he thought repeatedly. '_Gyahaha… This is awesome_…!' But that perverted grin on his face would not go unnoticed… **WHAM**! And suddenly the tip of Dempsey's cane thrust straight onto his forehead! "GAH…!" he cried out painfully, almost falling over backwards. "**WHAT THE HELL, OLD MAN**?!"

"Where in Arceus were you looking at?!" scolded an irritated Dempsey. "Wipe that grin off your face…!"

"**I WASN'T LOOKING AT ANYTHING**…!"

Fortunately – perhaps – Kay and Teppo were oblivious to what Dempsey was mad at Sodo about.

"Looks like you got it, Teppo," smiled Kay. "Now remember to look out for that hook, alright?"

"Nite…!" The Pokemon cheered and started walking into the Battle Ring.

For now, Kay felt it would be best for her not to be involved and leave it to her Pokemon alone to engage in its spar against the Machoke. The same went with Sodo, who stood away from the Battle Ring. But, as soon as Teppo stepped closer to stand face-to-face with Champ, the latter suddenly came swinging! Teppo wasn't even able to react on time; the poor fire pig was literally knocked flying sideways – off its feet – until it turned inside and out!

"Pig…nite…" groaned the fire pig with swirls in its eyes.

"T, Teppo…!" Kay gasped. She then quickly ran to kneel over the Pignite, helping to raise its head up, before looking towards Sodo. "T, That was dangerous...! Champ could have really hurt Teppo…!"

"Then Iva Parish's Makuhita had already defeated you." Those words came from Leader Dempsey, and it struck both Kay and Teppo hard. "Sodo's Machoke might be holding back its punch, but it should be about how powerful the Makuhita's right hook would be… No, actually, considering the fact that Champ is too tall to deliver an effective hook against Teppo… the Makuhita's right hook might actually be stronger. And that's without the power of a Focus Punch."

Kay gulped at that. "It's… It's that bad…?"

"So for the whole month until your next Pokemon Battle… we'll be teaching your Pokemon how to dodge that hook. If your Pokemon can successfully dodge it even once, then the training is over. Is that understood?"

Kay's expression hardened and she nodded firmly.

Teppo was raring to go again as well, and was already standing back up on its own despite having that bruise on the left side of its face.

"This is going to be difficult, Teppo…" said Kay. "But are you ready for it?"

"Nite." The fire pig responded confidently.

* * *

And yet Teppo walked out of that Gym with its Trainer with its whole face very much swollen here and there.

"N, Nite…" groaned the fire pig.

"Are you alright, Teppo…?" asked Kay. "You really shouldn't push yourself to walk. Here." She took out its Pokeball and recalled it back in. Even Teppo, who didn't exactly like going inside there, couldn't muster up any enough energy to protest. "Sorry, Teppo…" whispered Kay to Pignite's Pokeball. "Just rest for now, okay? Tomorrow, I'm sure we'll definitely get it right…!"

* * *

**WHAM!**

Champ nailed the right hook!

**WHAM!**

Champ nailed the right hook again!

**WHAM!**

And again!

And finally, Teppo was lying upside down against the back of its head, completely battered around the face. Sodo's Machoke, on the other hand, was flexing its muscles triumphantly and cockily.

"Gyahaha!" laughed Sodo. "This is actually a good stress reliever for Champ! Why not just quit being a Pokemon Trainer and just have your Pokemon be my Machoke's personal punching bag?! Gyahahaha!"

"Teppo…" groaned Kay, who was already sitting by her unconscious Pokemon's side – though also visibly annoyed by Sodo's insulting words. "There must be some way to get through this…"

* * *

"There must be some way to get through this…"

Even when Kay and Teppo were back at home, Kay, while carrying a bundle of grass for the farm's Miltank to eat, was still pondering whether or not there was something she could do to better prepare her Pokemon for those right hooks. Sure, Teppo was starting to get the gist of it and was slowly avoiding getting hit directly in the face, but… '… _he's still getting hit. At this rate, Teppo might get head trauma before the Pokemon Battle itself… Is Champ REALLY holding back_…?'

"Kay!" Her father's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Sorry to bother, but could you come over here for a bit?"

"Alright, Dad…!" Kay gently placed the grass into the Miltank's feeding box, and rang a nearby bell to catch their attention. Once she made sure all the Miltank was on their way to eat, the girl nodded gladly to herself and turned to join her father. "What's the matter, Dad?"

"Ah, Kay… Well, actually…" He turned his head towards the fence behind him. Normally there would be at least four planks nailed horizontally into the wooden posts, but Kay quickly caught on that some of them were either loose or came off completely. "The Tauros rammed itself against it… and as you can see it's a wreck… Any more and the farm Pokemon could just walk out of here. Could you stand and keep watch here while I go get my tools?"

"Sure, Dad." She waited for her father to leave, and then turned to look at the fence herself. "I wonder if it's because we didn't nail it properly…? This one…" She looked at the one where all - but one - of the horizontal planks were missing. "Anyone could come through here if we're not careful." She frowned to herself before crouching down in front of it. "They could just duck under and-…"

Suddenly, her eyes snapped wide open.

She quickly lifted her head and stared at the single plank suspended over it. "This is…" Then she beamed. "This is it…!"

And just when her father just returned:

"Dad…!" she suddenly called out. "Dad, do we have any more extra wood we used for the fence?"

Thomas blinked, puzzled.

* * *

Tessa was not at the Gym today, and like most days where she wasn't around, that meant she was off helping her family's business: a Pokemon Salon.

And at the moment she was brushing the fur on the head of a happy-looking Growlithe, with its owner – a woman dressed in expensive-looking clothing – standing nearby.

"Uh… sure?" said Tessa, holding her mobile phone against her ear with her shoulder. "That's… really good to know, Kay. Anyways, I'm sort of busy at the moment so I'll talk to you later, okay?" Tessa then allowed her phone to drop off of her, and right into her hand. Skillfully and swiftly, she hung up before putting her phone down on the table nearby. "Sorry about that; someone from the Gym called."

"Oh, it's quite alright, dear!" chuckled a woman. "You're doing marvelous work with my Growlithe's fur as usual!" She cheered when the Growlithe barked with glee in response. "Oh, also, I saw your last Pokemon Battle – congratulations!"

"Thanks," Tessa chuckled weakly, recalling that her last Pokemon Battle wasn't exactly one of hers and Parker's best performances. '_But what the heck was Kay talking about_…?' she thought. '_I could barely understand her… Something about… building with wood… to help Teppo to dodge a hook punch_…?' Tessa's expression hardened. '_What sort of incredible thing could Kay have built… and knowing her she most probably meant every word_…!'

"Ah, Tessa dear...?"

"Hm…? AH…!" She realized it too late: she was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't realize she kept combing the Growlithe's fur non-stop – so much that the fur on its head was now straight down its face and covering half of its face. "S-Sorry…!"

"Actually this looks good too…"

"… really…?"

* * *

Finally, thought Kay. The finishing touches were done!

And what stood in front of her… was a fence. It looked a bit like the one surrounding the farm, if not a little higher. However, for each of the three columns there was only one plank nailed horizontally into the wooden posts. The first plank was nailed highest; the next plank was nailed lower; the final sideways plank was nailed the lowest.

Kay's hands were roughened up and there were even some signs of bruises on her head; it took a lot of adjusting, but it was worth it. "Alright, Teppo!" she called out to her Pokemon. "Remember to do how I showed you…!"

Teppo was standing at ready facing the post with the highest plank, quickly getting into its fighting stance where its fists were held in front of the face. Teppo then gave Kay a nod.

"Alright, go…!"

And Teppo dashed forward before quickly stepping to the side of the first plank. And it remembered. On the first day, it tried to duck under the first plank and failed, hitting the side of its head hard.

Not today.

But the second plank always got to it for the whole week.

Not today.

Then there was the third one.

The third one had left the fire pig dizzy for weeks; it was the lowest of the planks and the height always got to Teppo. Sometimes Teppo actually managed to duck sideways and managed to get to the other side, but not without hitting the back of its head along the way. Even Kay found it difficult, despite the fact that it was not for someone her height to begin with.

But no matter how much its Trainer hit her head, she kept on smiling, and kept on encouraging Teppo to do better.

The Pignite weaved its whole body towards the final plank!

But in its eyes it saw the Makuhita's shadow, aiming that killer right hook as low as possible.

WOOOSH!

"….!" Kay gasped silently, and her eyes marveled at the sight: Teppo did it; it avoided the plank! "You did it, Teppo!"

The girl literally jumped for joy, and so did her Pokemon, who looked almost in disbelief itself. Unfortunately their celebration had to be cut short as both of them quickly fell backwards from exhaustion.

They just remembered that was probably the twentieth attempt that day.

"Let's rest up for now…"

"Nite…"

* * *

A few days later, at the Gym…

Champ swung its mighty fist at the incoming Pignite, hitting…!

… thin air.

"…!?" Everyone in the room went still.

And much to the Machoke's surprise: Teppo actually ducked from the hook!

"WHAT THE…?!" gasped Sodo.

"YEAH…!" shouted Parker. "YOU DID IT...! NOW GO AND KNOCK THAT COCKY POKEMON DOWN…!"

"IT'S A CHANCE…!" shouted Tessa. "DO IT!"

"PIIIIG…!" Teppo tightened its right fist, and it ignited it in flames! The Machoke's chin was exposed! "….NIIIITE…!"

Champ hesitated!

But it quickly struck Teppo back down onto the floor with an elbow to the face.

"GAH!" Parker cried out. "Hey, it used its elbow! That's not fair!"

"Shut up!" Sodo snapped. "It's not against the rules…!"

Tessa jeered along with Parker. "Your Pokemon was supposed to just use hooks…!"

But while those three Trainers went into one of their usual arguments, Kay quickly moved to her Pokemon's side… but seeing that smile on its face made Kay crack a smile in return. "Congratulations, Teppo…" said a proud Kay. "We finally did it…!"

Despite the obvious pain on its face, the fire pig continued to smile.

Leader Dempsey and Charles watched on from the sides, both now with relieved looks on their faces. "It seemed almost impossible…" sighed Dempsey. "I don't know what exactly that Kid did outside of the Gym, but it paid off."

"Let's hope all this will prepare them to go up against Iva Parish and her Makuhita in a week…" said Charles. "I'm just worried about all those punches Teppo took from Champ this whole time."

"Hmph, those will heal quicker with the use of the Pokemon Center." Dempsey's expression hardened after that. "But you're right: all we can hope is that all this will prepare them for their next Pokemon Battle. Good luck, you two…!"

* * *

Finally, it was the day of the Pokemon Battle, but there was still the last day check-up to go to in the morning. Kay and Teppo had arrived first, but Leader Dempsey and Charles had to arrive a little late to finish up some last minute business back at the Gym. Dempsey arrived, and as usual, Charles was the one who drove him there.

"Kay should be in there already," said Charles. "Hope she's not too nervous going in there on her own."

"That Kid definitely needs a mobile phone one of these days…" sighed Dempsey. "Come on; we should still be able to properly greet our opponents." With that, Charles handed him his cane and the two of them walked through the Battle Stadium's entrance, heading to the usual room somewhere in the back.

It didn't take them long to arrive, and fortunately their opponents were still there. Gym Leader Lacy was standing by next to her Trainer's Makuhita as it was looked over by the nurses' Audino. Strangely, the Makuhita's Trainer was not around…

"Oh… she's over there," pointed Charles.

Outside of the crowd, Iva Parish was seated down on the bench, wearing her usual white t-shirt and sweat pants – her expression alone made it look like she didn't even care about being here. An obvious frown was plastered on her face the entire time. "Where is that person with my water…?" she grumbled. "I asked for one five minutes ago…!"

"So she really does behave like that…" chuckled Charles weakly. "She definitely wore that same expression on her picture…"

"Ah, there you are!" Once the Makuhita's check-up was done, Leader Lacy walked along with it to greet Leader Dempsey and Charles. "I'm Gym Leader Lacy of the McKnight Gym." She gave Dempsey a smile and extended her hand to him. "I hope our Trainers will have a great Pokemon Battle with each other tonight."

"Mmm," nodded Dempsey. "I feel the same way."

"Hey, Iva…! Come over here and greet them, alright?"

"Hah…?" Iva raised an eyebrow, herself looking irritated. "Alright, alright…" However, someone finally squeezed through the crowd, holding onto a bottle of water and hesitantly making her way to her. "There you are! What took so long?" But she turned her back to the person anyway and stood up to face Dempsey and Charles, but turned her eyes away not long after. "Anyways… I'm Iva Parish; good to meet you and everything."

"I, Iva…!" flustered Lacy. "Do it more properly…!"

"Hey, I can't help but feel all this being done prematurely," said Iva, crossing her arms over her chest. "Besides, their Pokemon Trainer isn't ever here yet! Shouldn't I be greeting her first or something?"

But Dempsey and Charles – with awkward looks on their faces – slowly pointed forward, to behind Iva.

"Hm…?" Iva Parish turned her head to look behind her… and it turned out it was actually Kay that she sent to get that bottled water! Quickly realizing this, Iva backed away in surprise. "W, What…?! THIS plain-looking girl is Kay Planer?!"

Kay could only stand there and smile awkwardly.

"Y, You idiot…!" scolded Lacy, quickly pushing Iva's head down. "Quick, apologize…! How could you make your opponent into an errand girl…?!" Though Iva tried to resist, Lacy kept pushing her head and her own down repeatedly. "W, We're very sorry…! She tends to be like this…! We're really very sorry…! Come on, Iva! Apologize…!"

"She didn't say anything…!" Iva retaliated. "It's partly her fault too…!"

"Shhh…! Know your place, girl…!"

But Kay merely chuckled – albeit awkwardly – it off. "I, It's really alright…" she assured, waving her hands to them. Of course… in the inside she felt pretty embarrassed.

* * *

"Alright! Kay Planer's Pignite is in good condition to battle!"

Eventually Teppo and Kay returned to Dempsey and Charles' side, with Iva, her Makuhita and Gym Leader Lacy waiting as well. "I wonder if I'll ever get used to these last day check-ups…" said Kay with a weak smile. "People are always staring at us…"

"You will in time," said Dempsey. "For now, just try to not make it obvious. Especially not in front of the ones you and your Pokemon will be battling against." He stepped aside, revealing Iva and Leader Lacy still standing there. "Go on."

"Y, Yes, sir…!" Kay stepped forward along with Teppo, and the two bowed in greeting. "Good morning… I'm Kay Planer from the Dempsey Gym, and this is my Pignite, Teppo."

"Pignite." Much like its Trainer, the Pignite greeted politely.

"It's good to meet you all," Kay continued, straightening herself and extending her hand forward. "I hope we can have a great Pokemon Battle tonight."

While Iva didn't look all too impressed by such a simple greeting, Leader Lacy on the other hand… 'W-_What a polite young girl_…!' she thought, her eyes sparkling. '_Even after what happened earlier… Why couldn't she have joined my Gym instead? Someone here definitely could learn a thing or two from this one here_….' Of course, her eyes shifted towards Iva Parish's direction.

And finally Iva Parish stepped forward, and accepted Kay's handshake. "Yeah…" she said. "May the best Trainer win."

But Kay started noticing something: Iva was actually tightening her grip around Kay's hand. Not that it hurt her or anything, but she definitely felt it. Teppo and Iva's Makuhita also shared a handshake of their own, but unlike Kay, Teppo actually squeezed the Makuhita's hand in return when the latter did it first.

Dempsey and Lacy saw all that.

* * *

After a while, Kay, Teppo, Dempsey and Charles finally walked out of the Battle Stadium.

"What do you think were you doing buying a bottle of water for your opponent?" asked Dempsey.

"I, I wasn't sure what to do…" said Kay, lowering her head in guilt. "She suddenly pushed me into doing that… I was feeling nervous there to begin with too."

"But that was pretty interesting back there," commented Charles. "Iva Parish and her Gym Leader seemed like two very different people…" Then he looked at both Kay and Dempsey before chuckling a little to himself. "Kind of reminds me of some people I know."

"What do you mean by that?" scoffed their Gym Leader. "Well, in either case, now we just need to focus on the Pokemon Battle tonight, so get what rest you and your Pokemon could until then." Kay and Teppo nodded to that. "Still… back then during that handshake… that girl, Iva Parish…" She stroked his beard a little. "She didn't look it… but squeezing your hand just now was pretty bold of her. Looks like she's really fired up for tonight's Pokemon Battle."

But…Kay blinked at that. '_Fired up_…? _I wonder_…'

* * *

Meanwhile, walking alongside Gym Leader Lacy, Iva was recalling what had happened back then at the Stadium.

'_I really hope she didn't find out how nervous I was_…'

* * *

**Author's Note: **Wow, September's been a very slow month for me. Lots of things kept popping up here and there, and I wasn't able to finish this chapter as soon as I had wanted to. I wonder if it's the weather...? Anyways, anyone pumped up for the new Pokemon game for the 3DS? I know I am! I hope we get to customize our character a lot more than the previous game too. I mean, I know a lot of us have that dream of creating our own fan Trainer characters; heck, if I could, I'd create Kay Planer! That reminds me though... Perhaps I should one day show all of you how I picture Kay to look like, and perhaps if I'm lucky, I could show you all how some of the other characters look like in my head.

And by that I mean the characters I made for the story, not the OCs submitted by others unfortunately - I might be picturing them differently than you all do.

But that's just a 'maybe' and not a promise - haven't drawn a lot for a loooong time.

Anyways, see you all in the next chapter!

Please leave a **review** to tell me what you think of the read!

Also, I just realized that for the first three chapters of this story, I called them 'episodes' instead of 'chapters'. Weird.


	27. Unexpected Move!

**Chapter 27 – Unexpected Move! **

And the bell was rung, signaling the end of the Pokemon Battle and the start of the crowd's applause for the four Trainers and their Pokemon.

The sound spread all across the Battle Stadium, including places outside of the public's view; inside one of the waiting rooms, Kay, Teppo, and Charles looked upwards, hearing the sounds of many voices cheering. Kay was wearing a different jacket today, but still part of a track suit nonetheless; she left it half unzipped, revealing the t-shirt underneath. She didn't even wear her skirt this time but simply a pair of jogging pants – most possibly to hide the little bandages plastered around her knees.

In her hand was her trademark headkerchief.

"Sounds like it's our turn soon, Kid." Dempsey stared upwards before looking back down at Kay, who seemed busier staring down the accessory in her hand. "Are you and your Pokemon ready?"

Kay and Teppo turned their heads towards him and both gave him a firm nod. Dempsey liked what he was seeing: Kay didn't look nervous this time around and Teppo looked as fired up as ever – it's nothing like how they were during their Battle against Wally and Cole Hart; they seemed prime, confident, and the Pignite looked to be in its best condition.

'_Good_…' thought Dempsey. '_After succeeding to dodge Champ's right hook, they're coming into this Battle with confidence, and the Kid is more relaxed this time. It'll be interesting to see how this Battle will go_.' "Don't forget what you've practiced," said Leader Dempsey. "And as always, stay focus on your opponents."

On cue, one of the Battle Stadium staff came knocking on the door. "Kay Planer from the Dempsey Gym?" the attendant called out. "Your Pokemon Battle will be ready in ten minutes so please get ready."

Dempsey looked back towards Kay and her Pignite; Teppo responded by slapping its fist and open palm together; Kay stood and swiftly tied her headkerchief around her head, and then finally gave another firm nod to her Gym Leader before saying in a confident tone:

"Ready!"

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for waiting patiently! It's time for our third match of the night with the Single Battle Division!"

The crowd started cheering. Among those in attendance today were Terry and her two girls, Sodo, Parker, Tessa, and Charles. As usual, of course, Professor Eucalyptus was also present, sitting somewhere in the VIP sections. Supporting Iva Parish and her Makuhita, on the other hand, were her driver – who was in uniform – and two of her Gym mates – the same ones who openly supported her the whole time.

Iva Parish was the first to step out towards the Battle Ring, followed by her Gym Leader Lacy. As usual, Iva Parish didn't seem to mind what kind of clothes she wore; in fact, she was still wearing nothing fancier than a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants. Though expensive in material, their designs didn't exactly stand out as such. Perhaps the most notable difference was that she at least bothered to comb her hair a bit – though it was possible that it was Lacy who forced her to do so.

Mr. Announcer returned to the microphone: "On this side, she is a Pokemon Trainer who moved from the region of Kalos! Representing the McKnight Gym, accompanied by Gym Leader Lacy…. This is her first official Pokemon Battle in the Battle Stadium…! IVA PARISH…!"

No words were spoken between the Trainer and Gym Leader, and Iva went straight to climbing up to her podium, her Makuhita's Pokeball ready in hand.

"And on this side…!" Mr. Announcer continued. "She's from right here in Unova…!" That alone got a pop from some of the crowd. "Entering her third Pokemon Battle here in the Battle Stadium; representing the Dempsey Gym and accompanied by Leader Dempsey… KAY PLANER…!"

The crowd, who were more familiar with her than Iva, cheered louder, especially when Kay did her usual greeting where she politely bows to them on her podium.

'_As I expected_…' thought Lacy. '_Kay Planer is getting more cheers from the crowd than Iva… Not to mention the fact that she's from Unova definitely plays a role in this_.' But Lacy turned her attention back to her Trainer. '_Don't let this overwhelm you, Iva_.'

But the expression on Iva's face didn't say much about her emotions.

Dempsey, on the other hand, paid less attention to the crowd and more on Iva Parish herself, taking note of her lack of reaction to the differing volume of the cheers. However, he wasn't sure if it was because she really didn't care for it, or she just plain convinced herself not to show that she was. But for some reason…

'_That's odd_…' Dempsey thought. '_For a while there I was reminded of Inez and Blaze_…?'

Kay tightened her grip around Teppo's Pokeball, and Iva, her Makuhita's. The Battle Ring was eventually surrounded by that barrier once more, and Mr. Mime – along with Mr. Referee – went to their respective spots.

And the Referees threw their arms sideways!

"BATTLE…!"

Kay Planer and Iva Parish both threw their Pokeballs down at the same time. As the Pokemon emerged from their sphere capsules, both of them took a battle-ready pose. People cheered seeing the familiar fire pig back in the Battle Ring, while the others cheered for the Makuhita either for its powerful stance or for only realizing that a Makuhita was Iva Parish's Pokemon of choice.

As always, Teppo started off putting up its guard, hiding its face behind its fist. Surprisingly… Iva's Makuhita did the same thing! This surprised a number of people: namely the members from Dempsey's Gym, Terry and her girls, and of course, Kay and Teppo themselves.

"The Makuhita has a similar fighting stance…" muttered Kay, though eventually she brushed it off as something of mere coincidence. "Teppo! Start it off with Arm Thrusts…!"

"Nite…!"

Her Pignite let out a cry before quickly making a dashing step forward towards its opponent. As soon as it was a few inches away from the Makuhita Teppo thrust its left palm forward, but it merely struck the Makuhita's tight guard. However, even that alone managed to push the Makuhita backwards a little; the second attempt came with more power behind it, and it actually managed to push the Makuhita backwards.

"Maku…!" The Makuhita grinded its teeth feeling the fire pig's attacking power! "Makuhi… ta…!"

But the Makuhita did not want to lose out, and it returned the attack with – to Kay and Teppo's surprise - an Arm Thrust of its own! Its big left palm pounded into Teppo's own guard, and while it managed to hold off from the first shot, the second came with a vengeance that actually sent Teppo skidding backwards!

"N, Nite…!" Teppo winced; that Arm Thrust was anything BUT weak!

"Teppo…!" Kay cried out. "Tighten your guard…!"

Iva, however, did not need to say anything.

The Makuhita stepped forward, coming after Teppo quickly, but heeding to its Trainer's words Teppo tightened its guard once more and managed to block the incoming Arm Thrusts, only being pushed backwards by little margins. But as soon as the Makuhita even stopped for a second or two, Teppo fought back with its own take on the move, beating down on its opponent's guard like the latter did earlier. Eventually the Makuhita found its chance to strike at Teppo again, only for Teppo to eventually to do the same a while later.

Eventually both Pokemon didn't even bother to guard often and just started trying to hit each other as much as they could!

"Whoa, this is good…!" shouted one of the fans. "Now it's starting to look like a fight…!"

"Don't lose out, Makuhita…!"

"Both Pokemon managed to hit each other several times, but while some hits were mere grazes, a few hard ones managed to slip by and strike at the Pokemon's head or body.

"Watch out, Teppo…!" cried out Kay. "Left…! Right…!" It was getting hard for her to warn her Pokemon on which direction the Arm Thrust was going to strike next!

And the longer this went, the truth became more evidently clear.

Teppo was losing out.

* * *

Charles, who was sitting with Sodo and the others, leaned forward to look down at the Battle Ring in disbelief. "Why is Teppo losing out?" asked Charles. "If anything, I thought they'd surely be equally matched!"

Sodo, however, had inkling:

"Back when Pokemon Battles used to be simpler, 'Arm Thrust' used to be a move made famous by Makuhita and its evolved form, Hariyama…" he said out loud so Charles, Tessa, and Parker could hear. "In fact, it was fair to call it their 'signature move' before others learned to adopt it. A Makuhita is a natural when it comes to throwing those thrusts… and that's not all. Look." He stared downwards, focusing especially on the Pokemon's palms. "A Makuhita's palm is twice the size of a Pignite's… and a Makuhita is heavier too so that means it's also possible that it has more power."

Tessa looked down as well, but she was paying more attention to Kay on her podium. "And judging from Kay's expression there…" said Tessa. "… she must have just realized it now too."

* * *

"Teppo!" Kay called out. "Don't let down your guard…! We can't go for simultaneous exchanges…!"

And Teppo, hearing that, raised its guard again, fortunately minimizing the damage from the upcoming strikes. The Makuhita eventually stopped its assault, not willing to leave any openings for its opponent by continuously throwing the same move. But there were already obvious bruises around the Pignite's face…

Iva scoffed. '_Hmph… And here I thought she wouldn't have caught on to that plan. Using Arm Thrust against my Makuhita like that_…' Iva stared off to the side… Suddenly her eyes widened in surprise. On the big screen was an image of her Pokemon, who looked to have just as much bruises as its opponent…! "What…?!"

"What's this?!" Mr. Announcer cried out. "Even though it looked like Iva Parish's Makuhita was winning, It now looks like both Pokemon are equally hurt from those Arm Thrusts….!"

"What the?" Parker asked, standing up a little from his seat. "Oy, Sodo, didn't ya say the Makuhita had more power and was more natural with the Arm Thrust than a Pignite?"

"You moron…!" scolded Sodo. "It's because of this you're still an amateur…!" That embarrassed Parker, of course. "Just pipe down and keep watching! Maybe you'll figure it out on your own!" Just like that, Sodo focused back on the Pokemon Battle.

'_This is strange_…' thought Iva. '_When it comes to power, my Makuhita should have a slight advantage… Did I miss something….? How did it hit my Makuhita…? Ugh… Thinking hard over this won't get me anywhere anyway_!' "Makuhita…!" Iva called out to her Pokemon for the first time in this Battle. "Enough with the Arm Thrusts…! Use something else…!"

The Makuhita nodded firmly without turning its head, and then it shifted its fighting stance sideways. This time it raised its left hand – curled into a fist – slightly forward while bending its elbow downwards. That was definitely not the stance it used to throw those Arm Thrusts.

Something else was coming.

"Hm…?" Dempsey looked up towards the Makuhita. "That stance is…"

Teppo was moving forward, but suddenly, the Makuhita's left fist started emitting an ominous red glow. At that time, Dempsey's eyes snapped wide.

"Kid…!" Dempsey called out. "Be careful…!"

Before Kay could even ask him what he meant by that… Teppo was struck right in the face! Then another…! Then another…! The Makuhita was throwing jabs at Teppo, but its fist was suddenly moving at two or maybe three times its usual speed! The strikes were coming in so fast that all they left were trails of red swishing forward and back!

"T, Teppo…!" cried out Kay. "Teppo, guard…!"

The Pignite definitely tried to raise its guard up to block this onslaught, but it could barely see where the punches were coming from! All it could tell was that they were all quick jabs, but the size of its arms was not enough to completely block out its head the whole time.

"Looks like Kay Planer's Pignite's in trouble…!" cried out Mr. Announcer. "Those punches are coming in fast! So fast that it's stopping any advances Kay Planer's Pignite is trying to make…!"

'_I know that punch from anywhere_…' thought Dempsey, feeling a drop of sweat running down the side of his head. '_It's not a move that a Makuhita could learn naturally… and it's not a move a Pokemon could learn from any TM either….! I didn't expect the Makuhita to know that kind of move… It's only a move that it could learn through careful and specific breeding. A move that moves as fast as a speeding bullet… __**Bullet Punch**_…!'

"Teppo!" Kay called out again. "You need to back away for no-…!?"

But before she could finish, a Bullet Punch came piercing through her Pignite's guard, nailing it right between the eyes! Teppo's whole head flew backwards, and its guard was left completely open! The Makuhita saw the opening; it took one quick step forward, and threw yet another Bullet Punch in Teppo's direction!

*DING!*

The bell was rung! And just in time too: the Makuhita's fist was literally a centimeter away from beating on Teppo's face!

"And that's the end of the First Round…!" said Mr. Announcer. "It looks like luck just saved Kay Planer and her Pignite from what could have been a First Round Knockdown…! But how long will they be able to last in the Second?!"

The Makuhita slowly retracted its fist, and turned around to return to its Trainer and her Support. Teppo, panting, did the same, but with obvious wincing – even Kay looked worried as she rushed down from her podium.

"Teppo, are you alright?" As her Pokemon sat down on a short stool, she quickly knelt down to it and took the Potion from Leader Dempsey. "You got hit a lot out there… What kind of punch was that? It was so fast…"

"That was Bullet Punch," Dempsey pointed out. "Seems Iva Parish's Makuhita was born from careful breeding… To put it simple, it knows a move an ordinary Makuhita would not be able to. To think they had such a thing in their arsenal… They haven't even brought out the Focus Punch yet. The bruises don't appear to be anything a Potion can't heal, but what do you plan on doing? You can't just let your Pignite get hit that much again."

Kay thought over this quickly, especially considering the fact that they didn't have a lot of time and she was applying the Potion on Teppo at the same time. "What exactly can we do…" said Kay. "It's too late to try and teach something new to Teppo." Her expression hardened suddenly. "… we're going to have to just use what we know."

Kay looked over her Pokemon for a moment, making sure no serious bruises were left. "Alright, Teppo… Remember our Battle against Wally's Meowth? No matter how much you get hit out there, I want you to tell yourself that it doesn't hurt."

"Nite…!" Teppo nodded firmly.

"Allow me to tell you something else, Kid." Dempsey looked to the Battle Ring once more – it seemed the Referee was about ready to call the Pokemon back out again. "That Bullet Punch… You were about to tell your Pokemon to back away earlier, right?" Kay nodded, recalling that she never got to finish back then. "Stick to that; just make sure your Pokemon is outside of Makuhita's punching distance."

"You want us to keep away…?" Kay asked. "But Teppo's punches can't reach unless he steps into the Makuhita's punching distance…."

Dempsey looked her straight in the eye. "… I never said anything about punches, and it shouldn't be anything new to your Pokemon either. It's risky but…"

It was only then that Kay understood what Dempsey meant, and she nodded her head firmly. "Got it." She repeated the words to her Pokemon, and not long after the Referee started calling both Trainers and their Pokemon to get back to their positions. "Also, it was weird, Leader…"

"Hm? What was…?"

"I'm not sure why…" said Kay. "… but for a while there…" She rubbed the back of her head, smiling awkwardly to him. "… I was kind of reminded of our Pokemon Battle with Inez and Blaze. Well, wish us luck…!"

Kay climbed back up to her podium… but her words surprised Dempsey for some reason. '_So she thought of it too…? Why…? What exactly is it about this Battle that brought back memories of that Battle of all things_?'

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Leader Lacy and Iva Parish, it seemed the Makuhita was healed completely as well. When the Referee called for them, Iva and her Makuhita returned to their positions without saying anything.

As usual, the Mr. Mime referee made sure both Pokemon were ready and able to continue. Seeing nothing that said otherwise, the Mr. Mime raised its clown hands and threw them sideways, signaling the start of the Second Round.

"Oh man…" Parker groaned. "They spent the entire month training to avoid that right hook… but now they have Bullet Punch to deal with? Teppo might be fast but it's not fast enough to dodge punches as fast as bullets!"

Tessa sweatdropped. "You're really getting into this, aren't you…?"

"Hey! I just like fast-paced Pokemon Battles…! And I know just how fast Bullet Punches can go. It's literally like going up against someone shooting their gun at ya. And Kay's Pignite isn't exactly a small target, is it?"

"So getting closer to it is like trying to run into a gun pointed to your head…" groaned Tessa. "Oh! But why not have Kay's Pignite keep its distance away from the Makuhita? That way the punches wouldn't reach too easily because you know where the punches are coming from!" But then she came to realize something else. "…aww but a Makuhita's arm is longer than a Pignite's… Getting in close could be a risk."

"Looks like you two forgot," said Sodo, leaning against his seat with a huff. "The girl's Pignite actually has ONE move that could help here… It's a move that comes naturally with a Pokemon like Teppo, but it has never used it in actual Battle before."

"Using a move it never used before in Battle…?" asked Parker. "Ain't that… kind of risky…?"

"Well, that will depend on how they're planning on using it."

* * *

The Second Round had started.

And the Makuhita was already in its Bullet Punch stance! Teppo was more cautious this time; instead of charging forward like earlier, it was taking careful steps towards its opponent, all the while keeping its fists held in front of its face. It kept its eyes up, however, to continue to peek over towards the ready Fighting-Type.

Teppo continued to step closer.

And closer.

And closer.

And then…

"TEPPO…!" Kay suddenly called out. "Use EMBER…!"

Iva's eyes snapped wide open. Suddenly, Teppo took a deep breath, and started blowing fire right out of its nose!

"T, That's right…!" Parker gasped. "Teppo is part Fire-Type…!"

… only to be knocked down by Sodo's elbow. "Only NOW you realize that?!" Then he crossed his arms. "But yeah… Teppo has the advantage of having a second element."

"So that means Kay can win this...!" Tessa cheered. "All Teppo has to do is just use Ember!"

""I don't know about that… Fire-Type or not, Teppo was trained by Kay to battle at close range." His eyes sharpened. "… they're not planning on winning with this. Rather…" He then looked back down at the Makuhita. "… they CAN'T win with this."

The fire breath took the Makuhita by surprise, and it shielded itself with its left arm. The damage was done, but it kept its distance away from taking the attack full-on. Iva and Leader Lacy started to look worried…

But the look on the Makuhita's face suggested differently.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I think updates will be slow for a while from now on until things settle down for me here. At the very least, I will update a new chapter once a week depending just how busy my schedule is. But here's Chapter 27! Really hope I did alright with the OCs here, especially considering the fact that I've been dragged away from finishing this, which can mess up my train of thought (I really do hate leaving something unfinished when it gets rolling). I apologize, however, if this story seemed rushed or anything.

But I still do hope you all enjoy the read! Please leave a review to tell me what you think!


	28. Focus Punch vs Fire Punch!

**Chapter 28 – Focus Punch vs Fire Punch!**

Teppo's Ember was pushing the Makuhita away, and it definitely dealt some damage against it. But whenever Teppo stopped to catch its breath, the Makuhita would charge forward to attack. Fortunately for the Pignite, it was always able to step aside and use Ember to force the Makuhita to back away. It was definitely a reversal of the previous round.

"They're using the Ember to keep away from your Makuhita's punching distance…!" Leader Lacy pointed out to Iva. "At this rate your Pokemon could suffers burns!"

"I can SEE that…!" snapped Iva. "Darn it… How exactly can Makuhita fight against that…? Makuhita doesn't have any moves that can cover that much distance… If it could just get past the fire and deliver a Bullet Punch…"

On the other hand, Kay was glad their last-minute strategy was working, but she still didn't look relieved. '_We can't keep this up for too long_…' thought Kay. '_It may be working now… but this is still the first time Teppo actually uses Ember in a Pokemon Battle_.' Then she pictured herself as her Pokemon, having to keep blowing fire to keep a charging Makuhita at bay. '… _Teppo is getting pressured to use Ember every time it does that_…'

But then she suddenly realized something.

But so did the Makuhita.

"Maku…!" the guts Pokemon let out, before tightening its fist.

"Makuhita...!" Iva suddenly called out. "Stop backing away and just charge forward…!"

"…!?"

Everyone – including Kay, Teppo, Dempsey, and even her own Makuhita – was taken by surprise from that. The Makuhita looked unsure for a moment, loosening the grip of its fists, but then it raised its arms up to raise its guard… and dashed forward!

Teppo, having just stopped its Ember, quickly blew out more fire from its nose, but Kay didn't look all too pleased about that. The Makuhita didn't back away this time, but instead endured the scorching pain and pushed itself through the flames! In just a split second, the Makuhita's large body spread the orange and yellow… and a fast Bullet Punch suddenly struck Teppo directly in the nose! The fire flickered and went out!

The Ember was stopped!

"WHOA…!" Mr. Announcer cried out. "Iva Parish's Makuhita braved through the flames and exploded with a Bullet Punch…!"

"N, No way…!" gasped Kay. "Teppo…!"

The Pignite was suddenly forced into complete alert, and it raised its arms to block its head once more. It dashed backwards, and seeing its opponent charging right at it, fire once again lit up its nostrils. But suddenly…

"Teppo, stop…!"

The Pignite abruptly stopped itself from delivering another Ember, much to its surprise and everyone else's. The Makuhita, however, continued its pursuit and quickly nailed another Bullet Punch right into the fire pig's face! The damage this time was big – so much that it caused some blood to spray out of its nose - and the dual Fire and Fighting-Type started to look dazed!

"Now…!" Iva cried out.

Knowing just what she meant, the Makuhita pulled back its right fist, concentrating the majority of its energy into it. When a blue glow started enveloping its fist, Kay and Dempsey stood at attention. It was coming: the Focus Punch right hook!

"KID…!" called out Dempsey.

"TEPPO…!" Kay cried out. "LOOK OUT…!"

Through wincing eyes, Teppo saw the image of the Makuhita getting ready to deliver another punch. It was coming fast, or rather, Teppo felt so damaged that it felt its entire body heavier than usual!

It was coming.

Blood trickled down its nose; its vision was blurry.

It was coming…!

At that moment, several images flashed in Teppo's eyes, and all of them were the moments it got struck by that Machoke's right hook. But it also remembered seeing its Trainer getting hurt teaching it to duck and step forward with their makeshift 'training equipment'. Then finally, it started to remember. Rather, its entire body started to remember.

It couldn't allow their Training go to waste!

**WOOOSH…!**

And the entire stadium went silent. That right hook was brutal – from the way it was swung, to the sound it made cutting through air.

But it hit nothing BUT air.

"M-Maku…?!" The Makuhita itself couldn't believe what just happened… until it realized that Teppo was ducked under its arm! "M-Mak-…?!"

"NOW….!"

Kay's voice was heard across the Battle Ring. Teppo tightened its fist and gritted its teeth, and its fist was quickly surrounded by intense orange and yellow. It then shifted its entire body, throwing its burning right fist upwards from below… The Fire Punch was going to be unleashed! And the Makuhita's chin was exposed!

**WOOOSH…..!**

… but it hit nothing but air.

To everyone's shock again, the Makuhita moved its head out of the way just in time!

Even Iva fell into surprised silence!

'_WHAT_?!' Leader Dempsey couldn't believe it! '_It could dodge an uppercut like that from THAT distance…_?!'

Now it was Teppo's head that was exposed, and the Makuhita, with its fist still glowing blue, swung its fist once again towards the side of the fire pig's head… but Teppo once again ducked out of the way just in time!

**WOOOOOOOOOOSH!**

"W, WHOAA…!" But the crowd heard and – to an extent – even felt the power behind that swing. To them, it felt like the whole stadium shook!

Then Teppo saw its window of opportunity again; once again its fist lit on fire, and it threw its entire body upwards to aim yet another explosive swing towards the Makuhita's exposed jaw… only for the latter to move out of the way again!

**WOOOOOOOOOOSH!**

"W, WHOAA….!" And the crowd heard and felt that too, and even once again felt the entire stadium shaking at the wake of that punch!

Teppo and Iva's Makuhita continued their attempts to deliver each of their own finishing blows at the other, but while none actually hit, the sounds coming from their swings were sharp and inhuman. And the power from each swing seemed to wave over the crowd every single time!

"T, Those are some sick sounds …." said one fan to another. "All those punches are nothing but finishing blows…"

"Even one hit from any of those punches could lead to a knock out…" said another, gulping. "It's already scary just by looking at them…!"

And once again Teppo ducked out of the hook, only to miss a Fire Punch uppercut against its opponent once more. Eventually the two Pokemon had to step away from each other's danger zone, just in time for their respective powered fists to flicker out. The crowd was all cheers, but both Kay and Iva looked surprised and unsettled.

'_I, Impossible_…' thought Iva. '_No Pokemon has ever dodged Makuhita's right hook before… especially not in that range and that many times. That wasn't due to luck… They trained for this_…!? _If Makuhita hadn't dodged that Fire Punch uppercut_….'

'_Teppo was able to dodge all the Makuhita's right hooks_…' mused Kay. '… _but it's incredible that the Makuhita could dodge those Fire Punches…. Could it be that they saw it coming_…?' But then she recalled Iva's expression earlier. '_But judging from her expressions she looked just as surprised as we were… It can't just be luck_…'

It was then that Leader Dempsey suddenly froze. '_That's it…! I know why I'm reminded of Inez and Blaze_…'

*DING!*

And the bell was sounded, ending the Second Round!

"AND THAT'S THE END OF THE SECOND ROUND…!" shouted Mr. Announcer. "Kay Planer's Pignite received the most damage, but Iva Parish's Makuhita looks almost relieved that the bell has rung! Could it be because it felt its opponent's incredible attacking power?! But both Pokemon looks exhausted from throwing their strongest punches!"

Teppo and Iva's Makuhita stood in the Battle Ring, glaring at each other while heaving and panting for breath. It almost looked like they were ready to start the Battle again if it wasn't for the Mr. Mime Referee stepping between them and telling them to return to their Trainers.

"Teppo, are you alright?" Kay asked once her Pokemon sat back down on its stool. "You did great. Here, let me wipe your nose and then we can use a Potion to heal you back up."

"Nite…" Teppo nodded, but its eyes were still staring off towards the Battle Ring – or rather, its opponent across from it.

"Kid, earlier during the Battle…" Dempsey stepped forward, holding onto a bottle of Potion. "Why did you have your Pignite stop from using its Ember? If it hadn't ducked away from that Focus Punch right hook earlier your Pokemon could have went down."

"Sorry…" said Kay, lowering her head apologetically. "It's just… I was worried that if the Makuhita hit Teppo a second time on the nose during another Ember, it could cause internal damage." She wiped the rest of the blood stain on her Pokemon's nose. "It was the first time Teppo used Ember and it was continuous… If it was me, I'd feel a lot of pressure in my nose, you know…? But I'm sorry; I guess I didn't think carefully…"

"Actually you may have a point there, Kid – that was good instinct on your part. Relying too much on something you never trained for is always high risk. Also… I realized something incredible." Before he continued, he handed the Potion to Kay. "… it's actually little to do with this Battle reminding us of Inez and Blaze…" Then he stared off in the distance, towards their opponents' area. "… but Blaze alone."

"Inez's Combusken…? What do you mean…?"

"Earlier I've noticed that Iva Parish always looked surprised when her Makuhita dodged our Fire Punches… That's because she WAS surprised. It's not uncommon in Pokemon Battles… You've seen it before: when a Pokemon battles through its own instincts."

It clicked with Kay quickly: back then during their Pokemon Battle with Inez and Blaze… there were those moments when Inez never said a thing, allowing her Pokemon to battle on its own – it made their Battle that more unpredictable. Iva Parish rarely gave any commands to her Pokemon too…

"Do you understand now, Kid?" asked Dempsey. "Our real opponent here… **is that Makuhita**."

"So that time when it dodged Teppo's Fire Punch…"

"It was not trained… **That was talent**." He then shook his head. "But let's forget that for the time being. First how do you expect to tackle this round next? They will definitely be ready for another Ember move to counter their Bullet Punch."

"… I… I think I may have a plan. I only pictured it in my head but… it might work."

* * *

Leader Lacy sighed after seeing no heavy damage on the Makuhita, and turned her attention to Iva Parish, who was just standing idly by. "Did you hear what I just said?" she asked. "Just because we didn't get hit this round doesn't mean we won't get hit in the next. They've actually trained to go up against your Pokemon's finishing blow… if it wasn't for the fact that your Pokemon had good reflexes, that Pignite could have knocked its head clean off."

"…" But Iva didn't say a thing, and instead stared off towards the Battle Ring. Lacy was about to call out to her, but then realized that she wasn't being ignored, it was because her Trainer was apparently deep in thought.

'_I've never seen her with that look before_…' thought Lacy. '_That's the most focused I've ever seen here… Is it possible that she actually knows how serious the situation is_…? _Perhaps I should give her some words of advice…_' She was about to stand up, but then stopped herself. '… _no. I want to see it… I want to see just how far she can go on her own_.'

"Looks like it's about time the Third Round is starting…" said Iva, soon turning to face her Makuhita. "I'm counting on you to win in this round. You should be able to throw more Focus Punches, right?"

The Makuhita was unresponsive for a moment, but then gave its Trainer a silent nod.

"Good, because we're going to need it… In this round, we'll definitely score a Knockdown."

* * *

The Third Round was about to begin, and the Trainers and their Pokemon were back in their rightful places in the Battle Ring. Kay Planer and Iva Parish's eyes met despite their distance, mirroring their Pokemon's own stare down. The crowd was eating it up; they loved the looks on all of their faces. Once the Mr. Mime Referee looked both Pokemon over, it signaled for the bell.

The Third Round had begun!

And Makuhita was quick into getting its Bullet Punch stance!

'_What's it going to be this time_?' wondered Iva. '_Ember again? Will they try to lure Makuhita into using its Focus Punch again_?' But to her surprise...

"Teppo…!" Kay called out. "Charge forward…!"

'_WHAT_…!?'

Teppo rushed forward with its arms raised in front of its head! The different strategy caught Iva by surprise, but while the same happened with her Makuhita the latter was ready enough to throw in a Bullet Punch or two. Both strikes hit the advancing fire pig, but Kay continued to tell her Pignite to keep going.

* * *

"W, What is she doing…?" asked Tessa, looking down towards the Battle Ring. "Why isn't she telling Teppo to use Ember again?" She leaned back, rubbing her chin as she mused over a few ideas. "… could it be because it's risky to use a move they haven't trained on? I mean, if they just keep getting close like that, Teppo would have a Bullet Punch ready to hit it."

Strangely though, Sodo started to smirk to himself. "That's true… but there's another way to neutralize the Bullet Punch."

"Eh?" Both Tessa and Parker gasped. "Another way to neutralize the Bullet Punch?"

"Could Kay and Teppo have some sort of amazing move under their sleeves or something…?" wondered Parker. "Like some super punch out of nowhere sort of thing!"

"Nope." Sodo kept grinning. "It's risky, but it's using their best trait."

* * *

The Makuhita continued to throw the Bullet Punches and the fans supporting Kay and Teppo were starting to look worried… but something strange was going on. Earlier the Bullet Punches kept Teppo at bay… but for some reason this time Teppo was able to get closer and closer without being pressured away! But the punches were definitely hitting Teppo…

"Whoa, what's going on here?!" cried out Mr. Announcer. "Are the Bullet Punches no longer effective?! Did Kay Planer's Pignite actually just got sturdier after the break…?! The punches are not penetrating the Pignite's defenses as much anymore!"

Iva was baffled. '_W, What's going on…!? There's no way it could get that much stronger so fast…_!'

But Leader Lacy, despite being surprised herself, watched on attentively. '_They actually figured it out_…' She looked over towards Kay at her podium. '_Those two are definitely not your everyday Pokemon Trainers_…'

The Makuhita even tried to step backwards to maintain its distance from the dual Fire and Fighting-Type, but no matter how many punches it kept throwing Teppo just kept on coming until finally... Teppo was a forearm-length away. And right after the Makuhita threw a missed Bullet Punch too! Before the guts Pokemon knew it, an Arm Thrust from Teppo struck it right in the cheek!

And then another!

The Makuhita could no longer retaliate using its Bullet Punch and resorted to using its own Arm Thrust, but Teppo kept striking back. The Makuhita then tried to simply push Teppo away, but the fire pig continued to bounce back and close their distance again, once again throwing Arm Thrusts. This time the Makuhita itself was forced into hiding behind its guard!

'Aren't those attacks from Makuhita even hurting it?!' thought Iva. 'Why… Why can't I figure it out…?'

And another Arm Thrust struck the Makuhita on the cheek! The Fighting-Type staggered backwards… and then dropped to one knee after trying to catch itself from falling over.

The Mr. Mime Referee stepped between the two Pokemon!

DOWN!

"…?!" Iva froze on the spot, while the Referee started the count. "Makuhita…! What are you doing?! Get up…!" Fortunately for her the Makuhita was quick to get back into its battle stance before the fourth count, but Iva was still feeling unsettled. '_What's going on?! How come the Bullet Punch didn't work anymore?! How in the world did that Pignite just keep advancing like that_?'

The Mr. Mime Referee started the battle once more, and like earlier Teppo charged forward, braving through the incoming Bullet Punches. An Arm Thrust from Teppo grazed the Makuhita's cheek, pressuring it to back away and raise its guard again. The Pignite suddenly threw a hard straight with its right, almost blowing away the guts Pokemon's arms aside!

"Teppo…!" Kay called out. "Use Fire Punch…!"

"Nite…!" And Teppo heeded her words; it quickly ignited its right fist with hot flames! "PIIGGNITE…!" And a burning straight right literally blew away the Fighting-Type's arms! Teppo pulled back its fist, with the flames trailing along it. It looked about ready to throw in another Fire Punch too until…

*DING!*

… the bell was rang again, signaling the end of the Third Round!

* * *

"W, Whoa… That was intense…" said a fan. "I was so into it that I didn't even notice it was already four minutes…"

"It was so close too…!" said another. "Hey, Planer! End it on the next round…!"

* * *

"Alright, good work, you two!" said Dempsey once Teppo returned to its stool. "Looks like you managed to turn the tables around in this round. Keep the pressure going and don't fear the Bullet Punch! But be careful… Our opponents will be desperate to turn the tides in the next round. They might throw everything they've got at us."

"Yes, sir," said Kay, wiping a sweat off of her head while applying some Potion on her Pokemon. "If we can continue what we did earlier… we might be able to score another knockdown. What do you think, Teppo?"

"Pignite…!" The fire pig balled its hand into a fist, showing its usual bravado.

That got Kay smiling. "Alright… Just endure the punches a little longer, okay?"

"This Battle is moving to its Fourth Round…" said Dempsey. "Remember to pay attention to your Pokemon. A Potion may be able to heal its wounds, but it won't help bring back its stamina. I think our opponents might be thinking of the same thing."

"Yes, sir…!"

"What happened back there, Iva?" asked Leader Lacy while she sprayed some Potion on their Makuhita. "Your Pokemon was getting overpowered back there. Where's that Knockdown you promised?"

"How was I supposed to know?" Iva retaliated. "Bullet Punch never failed like that before." '_This is starting to make me look bad… If I lose now, no one in the Gym would respect me_…' Iva raised her head, meeting with her Gym Leader's eyes. "Leader Lacy, don't you have any idea how I could turn all this around? A Gym Leader should be giving their Trainers advice, you know!"

"You've never taken my advices seriously before." Leader Lacy shot a frown at her. "And now you're suddenly expecting me to help you out? In the Fourth Round, no less. I'm even the one applying Potion to your Pokemon here."

"B, But I'm actually asking for your help now…! If I lose now, then everyone at the Gym will-…!" But Iva suddenly shut herself up.

"Everyone at the Gym…? What about them…?"

Iva gripped on her pants; her head felt light and she could feel the blood rushing through her head. Normally she would just toughen it out and brush what her Gym Leader said off, but given the circumstances…

"… I… I, I don't want them to hate me… If I lose now, they'll…"

"I think they dislike you for your attitude, Iva. I'm not sure if you winning or losing here will change that."

"But I want to win for the Gym…!"

"… come again?"

Iva's face was completely beet red by now. "I… I know people don't like me there… Sometimes I say things without thinking… But…! But I really want to help the Gym, Leader Lacy…"

Now Leader Lacy herself was feeling bad for scolding her. "Well… I mean… You DID help us, you know…? You bought us new Training Equipment, remember?"

"Those were my parents…!" Iva shot a frown at Iva in return. "For myself, I…"

* * *

Flashback to the McKnight Gym, a few days after Iva Parish first joined…

Iva Parish was watching her Pokemon hitting the punching bag on its own; it was only a week since her parents got her the Makuhita to use in Pokemon Battles. She was still awkward around it; what was she supposed to say to it? When she got it, it was already old enough to battle – not to mention that her parents apparently had Trainers hired to train it before it was gifted to her. Well, at least the people here would be thankful that they actually have a Pokemon that strong.

"I'm getting thirsty from just watching…" groaned Iva, pushing herself to stand up. "I wonder if they have any water dispenser around here… Makuhita, just keep on training for the time being; I'll get you some water too."

"Maku…!" said the Pokemon – all without even looking back at her.

Iva made her way out of the room, and she was about to head around a corner when she suddenly heard some people talking.

"Hey, what do you think of the newcomer?"

It was one of the regular members of the Gym, but Iva quickly hid behind the corner before any of them saw or heard her coming.

"Apparently she's from Kalos," said the other man. "She must be really rich too 'cause as soon as she joined, we suddenly got some new Pokemon Training equipment. Plus that Makuhita of hers is pretty strong. I guess it's a good thing that she joined this Gym, huh?"

'_Oh,wow_…' thought Iva, smiling to herself. '_Am I being praised_…?'

"But that's all she's good for, huh?"

"…!?"

"I mean… Aside from those I can't really seem to bring myself to liking her. The way she talks to us is like she looks down on us or something."

'_That's not true…! I just got nervous_…!' She wished she could say that out loud though.

"I don't think she has many friends. If it wasn't for her parents' money and her strong Pokemon, we probably wouldn't even need her here. What do you expect from a spoiled child like her, am I right? Doesn't even care enough about how she looks around us too."

"…"

'_So that's how they all see me…'_

"Hey, you two over there!" Leader Lacy suddenly came from another direction, flailing her arms around. "What do you think you're doing slacking over there! It's time for you two to do your roadwork!" That apparently scared the two young men into fleeing. "Honestly… Hm?" She turned to look at her side, spotting Iva.

'_Just like everyone in school here…'_

"Oh, Iva!" Leader Lacy gave her a wave. "How's your Makuhita doing? Also.. thanks for the new Training Equipment! They're really helping out the Gym!"

'_If that's how they want me to be then…'_

"Iva…? Are you listening to me…?"

Iva Parish turned her head towards her Gym Leader, and for the first time to the latter, the girl shot a glare at her, before turning her back. "Yeah, yeah, I heard you…" she said rudely, "You can thank my parents yourself."

'_Then so be it_…'

And ever since then, Iva Parish was seen as 'rude' and 'ungrateful', and as the days went by she adopted her tough attitude, pushing everyone else away.

She could no longer properly ask anyone in the Gym if she wanted help.

She felt no choice but to feel alone.

* * *

"…" Suddenly the look on Iva's face hardened. "No… I'll prove to everyone." She straightened up, and started heading towards her podium. "Makuhita, the Fourth Round is about to begin."

"O, Oy, Iva…!" Leader Lacy called out to the Trainer, but she didn't even get a glance in return. '_That girl is still being stubborn anyway_… _But those eyes of hers…' _Then she set her sights towards Kay Planer and her Pignite. 'Kay Planer, you have my thanks; if it wasn't because of you and your Pokemon, Iva would probably never get this serious. But…'

Kay climbed her podium and Teppo stepped back into the Battle Ring.

'_You may have just set a big obstacle ahead of you!'_

*DING!*

* * *

**FazzEagle_:_** And here's the next chapter! I wanted to try and give the character Iva Parish a little more depth here by explaining that her attitude right now is the result of social labeling. You know that one person in your class or your workplace that a lot of people label as a 'loner' because he doesn't interact much, BUT when that person does talk you all feel like it's out of place? And your reactions may have given away to said person how you all perceived them? It's kind of like that. Some people are sometimes left without a choice but to 'accept' the social labels put on them, and some even slowly come to act according to them.

Sure, some people are alright with it, but to others they might see it as a glass ceiling they can't easily break through, you know? Ever felt like doing a genuine good deed but you don't feel like you 'could' because others don't see you as that kind of person? Anyways, the next chapter will be the hard-hitting conclusion to the Pokemon Battle!

As always, please leave me a **review**!


	29. Fighting Spirit!

**Chapter 29 – Fighting Spirit!**

Iva Parish and her Makuhita walked back towards the Battle Ring, with Leader Lacy looking on from behind. As Iva was about to climb back up to her podium, she stopped herself to turn her attention to her Pokemon. "Makuhita," she said, catching the Fighting-Type's attention. "I think it's about time we try 'that'."

Makuhita simply nodded to its Trainer without a word and continued on its way to climb back up into the Battle Ring, where its opponent, Teppo, was already waiting and standing near the Mr. Mime Referee. Once it stood in place several feet away from the Pignite, it slowly returned to its fighting stance.

But to Kay's surprise, it was the exact same stance it used for the Bullet Punches earlier.

'_They're going for the Bullet Punch again_…?' mused Kay. '_Could it be that they have something planned? Well, there's only one way to find out_…' And soon the bell was sounded! "Teppo, quickly close in on it…!"

Teppo exploded forward, charging towards its opponent while keeping its guard up again. As expected, the Bullet Punches came attempting to shoot down the advancing dual Fire and Fighting-Type, but Teppo braved through and endured the assault.

'_The Bullet Punch had one major weakness_…' thought Kay as she watched her Pokemon battle on. '_The Bullet Punch moves really fast, but the one flaw of it is_…' Then she watched the Bullet Punches losing its effectiveness again the more Teppo closed in on its opponent; the Makuhita tried to move away and punch at the same time, but it wasn't enough to even stagger the fire pig. '… _they're all __**straight punches**_!'

She started to recall the many times she trained with her Pokemon, especially when it threw its finishing blow, the Fire Punch.

'_Teppo threw many straights before_….' She continued to muse. '_And those punches felt more powerful if the arm extends completely.' _And she recalled just how Teppo's stubborn advancing continued to stop the Makuhita's arm to do that_. 'Like how we battled against Inez's Combusken… stopping a move like that midway halves its power. And a punch thrown while moving lacks the strength compared to throwing it while putting your whole body into it_…'

* * *

"It's kind of like you'd deal with a real pistol." Sodo was apparently explaining the same thing – albeit in his own way – to Tessa and Parker. "You definitely have a hard time dealing with the bullets shooting at you, especially when you're clearly in its range. But… a pistol is mostly a long-ranged weapon.' He looked down at the Battle Ring, watching the Makuhita struggling against its opponent. "It's a risk going up close to it, but if you get real close…" Sodo's eyes sharpened. "Your opponent will have a harder time shooting at you."

"How would it make it harder…?" wondered Tessa. She looked into her hand and folded two of her fingers into her palm, making a 'gun' gesture with said hand after by lifting the thumb and extending the middle and pointing finger forward. "So if I had a gun right now…" She leaned sideways… and turned to look towards Parker next to her.

And pointed her 'gun' at him.

"… oy." Parker sweat-dropped.

"Pew pew." Tessa mimicked a 'shooting' gesture, aimed right at Parker's head.

"**OY**."

"I could definitely blow his head off at this range… so if I actually get closer…." As she leaned closer, she tried to picture Parker moving around. She bent her elbow sideways so she could still keep her 'gun' at a range… but found it very uncomfortable on her arm. "Sodo's right! It does get harder to try and shoot you…! And even if I extend my gun forward…" Her arm stretched past Parker's head, and aimed right at the stranger sitting next to Parker. "I'd miss and Parker can see where I'm shooting at!"

"**WHY ME**?"

And the stranger next to him was just lost in the whole thing wondering why Tessa was pointing her fingers at him.

"But what worries me the most right now…" continued Sodo. "… is the fact that those two are still going with the Bullet Punches. Pretty sure they must realize by now or at least know that the move doesn't work on Teppo… What exactly are those two planning…?"

* * *

The Bullet Punches came almost non-stop but Teppo was relentless as usual. The Pignite was definitely receiving damage, but cutting the opponent's move's power by half will definitely keep those punches from knocking it down. Now all it just needed was to get close and aim a well-timed Fire Punch right at the Makuhita, and it should be able to get the win. And not long after, a Bullet Punch actually missed its target, leaving the guts Pokemon open to an attack!

"Teppo, now!" Kay cried out. "Use Fire Punch…!"

"NITE…!"

Teppo's right fist ignited! As the flames surround its incoming punch, the Pignite put all of the strength in its body, aiming for an explosive knockout punch right at the Makuhita's chin! The Pignite came from the side, where the Makuhita's entire body was left unguarded. Teppo tightened its fist, bent its knees… and was ready to spring upwards to slam a Fire Punch in the Makuhita's jaw!

But then came a flicker of blue.

And Iva's voice: "NOW…!"

***BASH**…!*

"…!?"

"…?!"

"…?!"

"…?!"

Everyone was silenced; the punch came and hit.

But it was not the punch they expected.

Much to Kay's shock, a blue-glowing fist came out of nowhere, and slammed the side of Teppo's head. The form of that arm, and how it came to the side… and then there was the blue glow; there was no mistaking it: **a Focus Punch right hook had just struck Teppo**!

The Pignite felt its entire head rattling violently, and it stopped all of the momentum it built up for a Fire Punch uppercut! The fire pig's head flew sideways; the punch had nailed it right across the cheek! In no time the Pignite lost its footing… and fell face-first onto the Battle Ring floor!

DOWN!

The crowd went wild as the Referee started to make the count!

"WHOA…?!" The Announcer stood up from his seat, his expression in disbelief. "WHAT IN ARCEUS DID WE JUST SEE?! **T, THE FOCUS PUNCH CAME OUT OF NOWHERE**! But a Focus Punch requires time to charge…! And the one who looked the most shocked… is of course Kay Planer…!"

And Kay was indeed in disbelief, and her face quickly turned pale. How did that Focus Punch get in? But most importantly: Teppo got hit by it – the very same move they had trained to dodge this whole time. Then she snapped back into her senses.

"TEPPO…!" Kay cried out.

She didn't even want to call out to it for it to stand up – she just wanted to know her Pokemon was still conscious. Or breathing.

"THREE…!" the Referee continued. "FOUR…!"

Leader Dempsey himself looked distressed. '_Something unexpected happened again_…' he thought to himself. '_But this time it's something incredibly serious… A Focus Punch is a move that requires time to ready… That could only mean one thing: it was readying the Focus Punch the whole time…! Those Bullet Punches were mere decoys to lure Teppo closer… But performing two of those moves at the same time requires a lot of focus and training… Just how far is the gap between the Kid's Pignite and Iva Parish's Makuhita is?!_'

On the other side of the Battle Ring, Leader Lacy was just as shocked as everyone else was.

'_When_…' she wondered. '_When exactly did they learn to do that?! I've never taught them that technique_…'

The Referee continued to count.

"FIVE…!"

Teppo, however, started to regain its senses. It felt like an earthquake just hit its entire head, and every bit of its senses were blurred out: its vision was hazy; its hearing reduced down to hearing static; and for a while there it felt like its entire body was paralyzed from head to toe. But what surprised it the most was what it saw once he regained its sight: the floor of the Battle Ring.

"…?!"

It was surprised itself when it came to the sudden realization that it was knocked down! And it quickly caught on that the Referee was counting it out! Between the sixth and the seventh count, however, it quickly stirred and stood on one knee, pushing itself off the ground with its fists.

Much to Iva Parish and her Makuhita's surprise.

Teppo continued to remind itself of what Kay said to it: to keep telling itself that it didn't hurt. That punch was powerful – was stronger than the one Sodo's Machoke threw at it. But hearing Kay calling out to it gave the fire pig enough drive to stand back up, and fortunately stopping the Referee at the ninth count!

The crowd cheered on, amazed at the Pokemon's resiliency, but what they didn't know was that Teppo was still catching its breath.

But Kay knew.

"Teppo…" muttered Kay.

The Mr. Mime looked over the Pignite. There was an obvious swelling on the side of its face now, but it seemed the Pokemon was still willing to continue. At first the Mr. Mime looked unsure, but in their own Pokemon language it looked to be asking if it was alright and even seemed to be asking Teppo how many fingers it was holding in front of it.

Whatever Teppo said to it though, was enough for the Mr. Mime to throw its arms to the side, continuing the Round!

Teppo didn't move and instead just kept its guard up, and the Makuhita simply looked on before slowly getting into its fighting stance. The Pignite did try to move, but it staggered instead and almost looked like it could lose its balance at any given moment. Needless to say, the sight of the fire pig worried the lot of the Dempsey Gym.

'_That punch definitely did heavy damage on Teppo…_' thought Kay. '_Can we still risk charging head-on…? But if Teppo gets hit by another Focus Punch…_' She didn't even dare herself to finish that thought. '_But Teppo stood up… He wants to continue battling… He must be scared himself… but he still_…' She tightened her hand into a fist. '_I don't know what's going to happen_…'

Dempsey noticed the change in Kay's behavior on her podium. '_The Kid is scared… That is perhaps one of your bigger flaws as a Pokemon Trainer – you care too much for your Pokemon_.'

He looked towards Teppo, who was taking short steps forward towards its opponent, but it looked more like it was dragging itself.

'_A Trainer who loves their Pokemon too much is prone to getting scared of what will happen to their Pokemon in the Battle Ring… Iva Parish and her Makuhita share a more professional relationship… It may not be seen as acceptable, but the mentality they have makes them a stronger team than others_.'

Teppo continued to move towards the Makuhita, but it noticed the lack of Kay's voice – she wasn't cheering it on this time. But Teppo also knew why… and that was why it decided: Teppo braced itself, putting its guard up… and charged towards the Makuhita with all its might!

"T-Teppo…?!" That action surprised Kay herself.

Iva was just as surprised, but she didn't let it bother her. "Makuhita! Stop it again with Bullet Punches…!"

The Makuhita did as it was told and started throwing those Bullet Punches once more, but with Teppo slightly slowed down in both its speed and mobility, the Makuhita found less difficulty in keeping its punches from leaving its right range.

And only then did Kay realize what her Pokemon was trying to do.

'He's… trying to tell me to not be worried…' thought Kay. That and that it was still more than ready to bring the fight to the Makuhita. Kay continued to feel her hands tremble, but after flashing them a frown… she suddenly slapped both hands right on her cheeks as hard as she could! The sound was drowned out by the battling going on in the Battle Ring, but Kay straightened up, quickly hardening her expression. "Alright…! We can do this…!"

Parker blinked after seeing Kay slapped herself. "What the heck was that about…?"

Sodo simply grinned. "… teamwork."

"Teppo, I want you to listen up…!" Kay cried out. "I need you to keep moving forward…!"

And just by hearing that the Pignite seemingly powered up – it was as if it just suddenly regained all of the stamina it had lost! The fire pig once more braved through the Bullet Punches, much to the worries of its fans and even Leader Dempsey. The Makuhita was definitely getting that Focus Punch ready in case Teppo did ever get close again. And much like earlier, a Bullet Punch eventually came to miss!

Iva scowled. 'Are they going for another Fire Punch?!' she thought. 'You think that's going to work the second time around?!' "Makuhita, NOW…!" And she saw the blue glow flicker around her Pokemon's right fist.

The Focus Punch swung right at Teppo's head!

"Teppo!" Kay shouted out. "DUCK…!"

And Teppo tucked its head forward, avoiding the Focus Punch right hook! It was exactly what they practiced!

'You think I couldn't see THAT coming?' thought Iva. "Makuhita! Again, throw another Focus Punch!"

The Makuhita quickly retracted its arm and swung it right back at Teppo! This time – though the Pignite saw it coming – the Makuhita was able to graze the back of its head. Teppo felt its head rattling again, but in the end it endured. And once more its fist ignited! Now it was getting ready to throw in its finishing blow!

"Makuhita! Again…!"

But suddenly, to Kay and everyone's surprise, the Makuhita attempted its Focus Punch right hook a **THIRD** time! The punch came swinging from the side, aiming for the Pignite's head as earlier!

"TEPPO…!" Kay cried out. "BODY…!"

Iva's eyes snapped open. "What…?!"

The Focus Punch came swinging, but it hit nothing but air! Teppo was still ducked down! The burning fist came swinging this time, but it didn't aim for the Makuhita's chin this time… but for the side of its body!

***WHAM**…!*

The Fire Punch dug into the Makuhita's body, and the fist exploded upon contact! The Makuhita's normally half-closed eyes snapped wide open. A fourth attempt of a Focus Punch once again struck the back of Teppo's head, but the fire pig instead forced itself onto the Makuhita, planting its head under the latter's…

… before suddenly throwing in one more Fire Punch right into the Makuhita's body again!

***WHAM**…!*

And again!

***WHAM**…!*

And the third time, the Makuhita felt something snapped inside it. It staggered backwards, its arms hanging downwards. Iva called out to it to raise its guard… but the damage on its body took its toll, slowing the Makuhita down… and not fast enough to react to a fifth Fire Punch aimed right at its face!

"NITE…!"

Teppo struck the Pokemon in the face!

"NITE…!"

And another Fire Punch struck the Makuhita in the cheek!

"Makuhita…!" shouted Iva. "Bullet Punch…!"

The Makuhita, hearing its Trainer, rushed forward, fighting off the pain! It threw a quick Bullet Punch forward!

***BASHHH**…!*

But Teppo had ducked under it, and nailed an explosive Fire Punch uppercut right on the jaw!

"M-Ma… ku…." And the Makuhita fell backwards, just barely dodging yet another Fire Punch from Teppo. As the Makuhita hit the Battle Ring floor, Iva and Leader Lacy went silent. And so was the Makuhita. "…"

DOWN!

"O, ONE…!" the Referee started to count. "TWO…! THR-…!"

But the Mr. Mime, after looking over the fallen Pokemon, quickly shook its head and cross-waved its arms!

***DING! DING! DING!***

"The Referee is crossing its arm and there goes the bell! The Battle has ended…!" shouted the Announcer. "The winner… **KAY PLANER**…!"

And the whole stadium gave Kay and Teppo a loud ovation! Tessa and Parker stood from their seats and shouted out Kay's name as loud as they could.

"They did it! They won! They won!" Tessa cheered.

Sodo smiled, looking proud.

Terry and her girls were either hugging each other or jumping around while squealing in joy. The Gym members – including Leader Lacy and Iva herself - from the McKnight Gym, however, were not as happy.

Iva dropped to her knees. "I… I lost…"

Leader Lacy lowered her head in defeat. '_We almost got the win too_…' she thought. 'But do you understand now, Iva?' She raised her head, looking towards her defeated Pokemon Trainer. '_You had the drive… and you have a strong Pokemon… But you're missing one vital thing that your opponents clearly had: a connection_.' She turned her head, looking towards Kay, who had just ran into the Battle Ring to hug her Pignite, celebrating their victory.

'_That is the look of a Trainer who trained side-by-side with her Pokemon_…' Lacy continued. '_She most probably didn't rely on someone else to train her Pignite… but because of that she is aware of its strengths and weaknesses on a personal level. That's how she was able to picture how to beat the Bullet Punch and the Focus Punch… A Pokemon Trainer who understands her Pokemon… can see Battles in the eyes of her Pokemon_. If only you had been serious from the get-go… _Your Pokemon's fighting spirit punch (Focus Punch) is strong, Iva… but theirs is just stronger_ - your_ Makuhita was going up against the fighting spirit of both of them since the start of the Pokemon Battle_.'

Leader Dempsey let out a sigh, looking very relieved that they actually got out of that Battle as the victors. His eyes turned towards Kay and Teppo, who looked like they had just won the Battle of their life time.

'_Those two really do work well together…_' thought Dempsey. '_Whenever one of them is feeling down or lost, the other helps them right back up_.' He recalled the time when Teppo didn't know how to handle the Bullet Punch: Kay was the one who raised its spirits back up; or when Kay was in shock after Teppo got hit by that Focus Punch: it was Teppo that assured her that there was nothing to worry about. '_It's not the Kid's Battle nor is it just her Pokemon's Battle… they approached it together_.'

* * *

Two of the Gym members from the McKnight Gym didn't look all too happy, of course.

"Miss Parish lost…" said one of them: the young man. "Darn it… Their opponents were just too strong…"

But then came applause… and the mention of Iva Parish's name?

"Iva Parish, that was one heck of Pokemon Battle!" shouted a fan. "You were close so don't lose hope…!"

"Yeah, your Makuhita is super tough…!" shouted another. "Stay here in Unova and continue battling…! We'll definitely watch you two…!"

The young man and girl were pretty surprised of the positive reaction on Iva, and when the fans started applauding for her, they could not help but follow.

Iva had no idea how to react to all this, but this was the first time so many people were cheering for her. "Heh… I lost and only now a lot of people are cheering for me…? Oh well…" Slowly she stood back up and took out her Makuhita's Pokeball, and after flashing her fallen Pokemon a little smile, pressed the button on her Pokeball. As the usual red light enveloped the guts Pokemon, it soon vanished, recalled back into its sphere home.

She walked down her podium, but as she was about to head backstage…

"Um, excuse me…"

Iva turned around, only to find Kay and her Pignite standing behind her. Was her opponent trying to cheer her up, Iva wondered. But Iva still didn't turn around to face her.

"You're very strong, Kay Planer…" said Iva with a little smile. Then there was a little pause before… "Please win the Rookie Trainer Tournament." And just like that, Iva continued to walk away, followed by Leader Lacy, who gave both Kay and her Gym Leader a respectful bow of her head.

"Even at defeat she still holds her head high…" said Leader Dempsey. "I am certain that Iva Parish and her Pokemon will become stronger in the future."

Kay nodded. "Yeah… They were incredible." Then she gave her Pokemon a smile. "… and we're glad we got the chance to Battle them."

The crowd turned their applause towards Kay and Teppo this time, and as usual, the two of them bowed to the fans in respect and gratitude.

* * *

The rest of the night continued with the last Pokemon Battle, but as usual Kay and Teppo decided to leave early so they could get some well-earned rest. While they were getting ready, Sodo, Tessa, and Parker were waiting for her and Leader Dempsey at the entrance. They were just talking about the Pokemon Battle between Kay and Iva when the former started walking out of the Battle Stadium.

"Oh, there she is!" Tessa waved over to them. "Over here! Congratulations on your- … eh?"

To her surprise, Kay's cheeks were slightly red… and Teppo's face was heavily swollen.

And the Dempsey Gym trio broke into a laugh.

"GYAHAHA!" laughed Sodo. "What the hell! You two won and you two still look like losers! GYAHAHA…!"

"S-Stop laughing, Sodo…!" said Tessa, who was actually trying to muffle her own giggles. "T-That's being mean…!"

And even the Trainer looked like she got smacked around!" laughed Parker. "Were you in a Pokemon Battle, or were you in a boxing match! Hahaha…!"

Kay blushed shamefully. "S, Stop laughing…!" moaned the girl. "It was a really tough battle!"

But of course… they didn't stop.

As the trio started poking fun at her, Leader Dempsey watched on with an approving smile… and unknown to all of them Terry and the two girls were watching from afar, apparently hoping to meet with Kay until her Gym mates showed up. Of course, they could not help but laugh at her friend's expense as well.

But in the end of the night, Kay and Teppo could proudly smile.

They had earned a hard-fought victory.

"What kind of face will show up on the paper I wonder!"

"S, Stop it already…!"

* * *

**Kay Planer's Pokemon Battle Record: 3 WINS; 0 LOSSES**

**Winner by K.O. vs Iva Parish**

**(Round 4: 14 minutes 50 Secs)**

* * *

**FazzEagle: **And we finally come to the end of Kay's first Pokemon Battle in the East Unova Rookie Trainer Tournament, coming out victorious after a hard fought victory against a powerful Makuhta, which took several Fire Punches into the head AND body before it finally went down for the count. I wanted to thank the reader who submitted the OC; I'm not exactly sure if they like how the character is being portrayed or not since I haven't seen them reviewing the newer chapters, but I hope I did well! An interesting thing to note here is that both Iva and Kay each have strong Pokemon, but the difference between them that decided the victory was merely the 'connection' between Pokemon Trainer and their Pokemon.

Iva's time is up for the time being but I have been pondering on bringing the character back at some point in the future.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the read! Please leave me a review to tell me what you all think about this chapter! I think we'll take another rest from Pokemon Battling as usual. Hmmm... but what to explore next? Well, looks like we'll find out in the next update!


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